Equity markets across the Asia-Pacific region were down Friday with Japan's Nikkei hitting a three-month low, weighed by overnight weakness on Wall Street following days of solid gains. Concerns about a terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain, that left at least 13 people dead, as well as political uncertainties in the U.S. and simmering geopolitical tensions spurred investors to pull their money from riskier assets.

European stocks broke a three-day winning run Thursday, with bank shares dragged down by doubts about another U.S. interest rate hike in 2017, while the euro came under further pressure following minutes from the European Central Bank's meeting last month.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average on Thursday closed with its first drop of at least 1%, snapping a streak that had run for more than 60 sessions. The Dow DJIA, -1.24% finished 274 points, or 1.2%, lower at 21,750, as the broader stock market faced its biggest selloff since last week's North Korea-fueled jitters.