China's Shanghai Composite index falls 0.3 percent as China grapples with soaring COVID-19 infections

Key indices at Asian markets ended lower, taking the lead from losses on Wall Street while investors also looked ahead to some economic data in the region.

So, Japan's Nikkei-225 index declined 1 percent as Japan's core consumer inflation hit a fresh 40-year high of 3.7% in November, fuelling market expectations that Japan's central bank will further roll back its massive stimulus next year.

South Korea's Kospi



index plunged 1.8 percent; Hong Kong's Hang Seng index and Singapore's Straits Times index dropped 0.4 percent, each; and China's Shanghai Composite index fell 0.3 percent as China grapples with soaring COVID-19 infections.

However, In Europe, London's FTSE-100 had risen 0.3 percent; France's CAC-40 had inched up 0.2 percent and Germany's DAX had gained 0.5 percent, in intra-day trade.