Asian Stocks Fell, Oil Firms Rose

Japanese stocks fell after a report showed machinery orders unexpectedly declined, signaling economic growth in the world's second-biggest economy may stall. Advantest Corp. and Aeon Co. paced declines.

Elsewhere in Asia, BHP Billiton and PetroChina Co. advanced as oil climbed to the highest this month. Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. led real estate companies lower in Hong Kong after Credit Suisse Group advised investors to hold fewer of the shares than stock benchmarks suggest.

Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average slipped 0.3 percent to 16,1639.03 as of 2:30 p.m. in Tokyo, after rising as much as 0.5 percent earlier. Stock measures also dropped in South Korea, Hong Kong, Pakistan and Shenzen.

The dollar-denominated Morgan Stanley Capital International Asia-Pacific Index added 0.3 percent to 131.95, boosted by swings in the U.S. currency against its Asian counterparts. The benchmark was little changed this week.