112111473

Asian stocks fell the most in almost a month after the International Monetary Fund yesterday cut its economic growth forecastsBuy nike running shoes online for the U.S. and Japan, which was also struck by a series of strong aftershocks.

Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest carmaker, lost 1.5 percent in Tokyo, leading Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average towards its biggest decline in three weeks. Tohoku Electric Power Co. fell 2.6 percent after power was cut in some areas following the 6.6. magnitude earthquake hit Japan yesterday. BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company, dropped 1.4 percent after crude oil and copper prices declined.

“After yesterday’s quake, investors are likely to wonder whether there’s more to come,” said Fumiyuki Nakanishi, a strategist at Tokyo-based SMBC Friend Securities Co. “That’s likely to weigh on sentiment.”

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 1.1 percent, cheap nike mens acg sandals 2011 the most since March 15, to 135.05 as of 10:45 a.m. in Tokyo. About seven stocks fell for each that rose in the index. The gauge has risen for three straight weeks as Japanese companies resumed production after last month’s earthquake, and as an improving U.S. economy bolstered optimism the global recovery can be sustained.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 1.6 percent, the most since March 23. As well as the 6.6 temblor yesterday, a magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck Chiba, the prefecture east of Tokyo, this morning, according to the Japan weather agency.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index declined 0.7 percent and New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index was little changed. South Korea’s Kospi index retreated 0.8 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index sank 1.1 percent, the biggest drop since March 17.

U.S. Futures

Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost 0.3 percent today. In New York yesterday, the S&P 500 dropped 0.3 percent, after oil dropped from a 30-month high as the International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for the world’s largest economy.

In Tokyo, Toyota dropped 1.1 percent to 3,225 yen, the third-biggest single drag on the MSCI Asia Pacific Index. Honda Motor Co., Japan’s No. 2 carmaker by market value, declined 1.3 percent to 2,864 yen. Sony Corp., Japan’s largest exporter of consumer electronics, retreated 2.8 percent to 2,505 yen. In Sydney, James Hardie Industries SE, the largest seller of home siding in the U.S., fell 1.7 percent to A$5.79. In Seoul,Reebok ZigTech online Samsung Electronics Co., which receives 20 percent of its revenue from America, lost 0.6 percent to 889,000 won.

IMF Forecasts

The U.S. economy will expand 2.8 percent this year, slowing from 2.9 percent last year and less than a 3 percent growth rate for 2011 forecast in January, the IMF said. The Washington-based fund also cut its estimate of Japan’s growth to 1.4 percent from 1.6 percent in the previous forecast after the nation’s earthquake and tsunami.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 0.9 percent this year through yesterday, compared with gains of 5.3 percent by the S&P 500 and 1.9 percent by the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. Stocks in the Asian benchmark are valued at 13.2 times estimated earnings on average, compared with 13.6 times for the S&P 500 and 11.3 times for the Stoxx 600.