After a strong start to the week, global stock markets were broadly lower in Asia on Wednesday, though Hong Kong equities outperformed as strong gains in one of the city's biggest share listings this year drove buying interest. Solid buying pushed several stock indexes, including those in Australia, Japan, and Hong Kong, to multiyear highs on Tuesday, but that was followed by a muted performance overnight on Wall Street.

Dow industrials eked out a small gain on Tuesday to end in record territory, but the broader market was weighed down by a selloff in financials, consumer discretionary and small-cap stocks amid concerns over the timing and ultimate shape of tax legislation working its way through Congress.