Asian shares were mostly lower and South Korea's Kospi dropped more than 4% on Thursday following declines for some Big Tech giants including memory chipmaker SK Hynix. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Oil prices held steady, with Brent crude trading near $79 a barrel. Uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. war with Iran is still overhanging markets despite hopes for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Markets will get an update Friday on U.S. jobs with the monthly employment report for July, and analysts say investors appear to be bracing for its potential impact.
"Asia's chip selloff looks like a combination of profit-taking and risk reduction ahead of Friday's nonfarm payroll report," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.
Strong corporate profits and expectations for more growth ahead generally have supported markets, but investors are now showing caution.