Asian shares fall on virus variant worries, Wall Street retreat

A man sits next to a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index at Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Asian shares fell Tuesday (July 20, 2021) as worries were growing that a faster-spreading variant of the coronavirus could upend the global economic recovery. - AP

TOKYO, July 20 (AP): Asian shares fell Tuesday as worries were growing that a faster-spreading variant of the coronavirus could upend the global economic recovery.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.9% to 27,417.75. South Korea's Kospi shed 0.6% to 3,226.19. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.5% to 7,252.20. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.1% to 27,189.43, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 3,531.54.