Asian stock markets are trading lower on Thursday, while the dollar benefited from waning expectations that the European Central Bank was poised to end its easy policy.

Japan's benchmark index, Nikkei 225 declined 34.56 points or 0.18 percent to trade at 19,182.92. China's benchmark index, Shanghai Composite fell 24.78 points or 0.76 percent to trade at 3,216.54.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 77.86 points or 0.32 percent to trade at 24,314.19. Singapore's Straits Times fell 12.89 points or 0.4 percent to trade at 3,171.68.

South Korea's KOSPI fell 5.74 points or 0.26 percent to trade at 2,161.24. Taiwan's TAIEX 0.46 points to trade at 9,856.71.