(Repeats to widen distribution)
* Asian stocks edge down, track Wall Street
* Japan's Nikkei index falls below 9,000 point mark
* Euro hits six-week low vs dlr, near nine-year trough vs
yen
* Gold at one-week low; oil at 7-week trough
By Kevin Yao
SINGAPORE, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Asian stocks fell on Tuesday,
with Japan's Nikkei index dipping below a key support level as
investors fretted about an anaemic global recovery, while the
euro hit a six-week low against the dollar.
Recent data, particularly those from the United States and
Europe, have showed signs of fatigue of the global economy
despite the extension of accommodative policy measures in most
countries, prompting investors to shun riskier assets.
The MSCI index of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan
<.MIAPJ0000PUS> fell more than 0.5 percent, tracking a weak
Wall Street.
Japan's Nikkei average <> fell below the closely
watched 9,000 mark for the first time in 15 months, pressured
by selling by hedge funds and foreigners as concern mounted
over the fragile economic recovery.
The Nikkei index has shed nearly 15 percent so far this
year, compared to a 2.6 percent fall in the MSCI Asia ex-Japan
index.
The 9,000-9,100 range had been strong support for the
benchmark Nikkei since last year.
"Selling by hedge funds and European investors appears to
be hurting stocks and if the Nikkei goes further below 9,000,
unloading by individual investors will also likely accelerate,"
said Masayuki Otani, chief market analyst at Securities Japan
Inc.
"Worries about the economy will not go away overnight, and
investors will closely watch what measures emerge, including
steps aimed at fending off a so-called double-dip recession in
the U.S. economy."
Investors have dumped Japanese stocks in recent weeks amid
worries about Japan's economic recovery, heightened by the
yen's climb this month to a 15-year high against the dollar.
Overnight, both the Dow Jones industrial average <> and
the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> finished lower despite
flurry of corporate takeover activity, usually a sign of
investors optimism.
The euro hit a six-week low of $1.2618 <EUR=> as the loss
of key technical support led speculators to short the single
currency in the hope of forcing stop-loss sales against both
the yen and the dollar.
Bears were targeting $1.2605, the 50 percent retracement of
the euro's rise from a four-year low of $1.1876 in June to its
August peak of $1.3334. A break here would open the way to at
least $1.2520 and then $1.2479, daily lows from July.
The euro extended its losses against the yen to hit its
lowest level in about nine years, as speculators sold the euro
in the hope of forcing stop-loss selling.
The euro fell as low as 107.21 yen <EURJPY=R> on trading
platform EBS, its lowest since November 2001. It later edged
back to 107.35 yen, down 0.4 percent on the day.
Spot gold <XAU=> fell $3.30 an ounce to $1,220.10 after
hitting a one-week low of $1,219.30, as falling equities
prompted investors to sell bullion to cover losses, while a
firmer dollar also put pressure.
Crude oil <CLc1> fell 56 cents to $72.54 a barrel, a
seven-week low, as the dollar rose and the lacklustre U.S.
driving season approached its end without triggering a seasonal
stockpile drop.
(Additional reporting by Aiko Hayashi in TOKYO; Editing by
Mathew Veedon)
