Asian shares drop following Fed comments Thursday 02:00 GMT. Asian shares fell after minutes from the Federal Reserve sparked concerns that the US central bank could slow its bond-buying programme. The MSCI Asia Pacific index fell 0.5 per cent, retreating from an 18-month high, as the minutes from the Fed's January meeting showed US policy makers are divided over its stimulus measures with many officials voicing concerns over the costs and risks arising form the Fed's quantitative easing programme. "The US dollar has emerged a clear winner on the day that was initially driven by the sell-off in commodities and subsequently by market reaction to the [Fed] minutes," said strategists at BNP Paribas. The yen fell 0.1 per cent to Y93.66 against the US dollar but Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 0.5 per cent, after hitting its highest level since late September 2008 on Wednesday. South Korea's Kospi Composite index slipped 0.3 per cent after hitting a one-month high in the previous session. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index slid 0.9 per cent, pulled down by weakness in the mining sector. Chinese shares were also hit by lower risk appetite with the Shanghai Composite index off 1.3 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index down 1.2 per cent. We wouldn't leap to conclusions over the trajectory of QE4, which Fed officials in recent days have suggested would likely be sustained at least into the second half of 2013. But it raises the stakes for Fed chairman [Ben] Bernanke's semi-annual testimony on Tuesday [Feb 26]," Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac, said in a note to clients. Concerns over the duration of the Fed's stimulus measures pummelled commodity prices in US trade, in turn dragging down resource stocks in Asia. BHP Billiton, the mining group, dropped 3 per cent and Rio Tinto slipped 2.5 per cent while gold producer Newcrest Mining plunged 3.1 per cent in Sydney. Sumitomo Metal Mining slid 1.9 per cent and Pacific Metals fell 1.5 per cent in Tokyo while in Seoul, steelmaker Posco lost 1.5 per cent and Hyundai Steel eased 0.8 per cent. Sony gained 0.2 per cent after unveiling its newest video game console, the PlayStation 4, at a New York event. Sony's rival Nintendo was ahead by 1 per cent. Chinese footwear retailer Belle International sank 12 per cent in Hong Kong. In Taipei, Apple supplier Hon Hai retreated 0.5 per cent after its parent Foxconn Technology Group froze hiring at a Shenzhen plant that makes gadgets including the iPhone 5 and put the brakes on recruiting for other factories across China. In commodities markets, oil prices extended losses with US crude down 0.6 per cent at $94.62 a barrel after posting its biggest daily fall so far this year on Wednesday. Gold prices rebounded after falling nearly 3 per cent to a seven-month low in the previous session. Spot gold gained 0.5 per cent to $1,569.14 an ounce.