Profit-taking after three successive gains hit Asian stocks Wednesday, while concerns over eurozone finances were stoked after the IMF chief warned Europe faced becoming a second-tier economic power. Shares had risen recently on optimism for the global economy and ahead of the release of key data in the United States and Japan later this week, which many forecast will show a strengthening recovery. But with the Easter holidays on Friday and Monday traders took the opportunity to cash in. Sydney fell 0.84 percent, or 41.3 points, to end at 4,875.5, while Tokyo edged 7.20 points lower to 11,089.94. Hong Kong lost 0.63 percent, or 135.44 points, to end at 21,239.35, while Shanghai closed 0.62 percent, or 19.63 points, lower at 3,109.11 Concerns over Europe continued to weigh, with IMF chief Dominic Strauss-Kahn warning that the region could fall well behind the United States and Asia economically amid the eurozone's fiscal troubles. 'The risk for European economies is to be in the second league and not in the first, with the United States and Asia,' Strauss-Kahn said in Bucharest. His comments came as a bond issue by Greece to help it out of its debt crisis was given a cool response while Ireland announced a plan to recapitalise the country's banks. Although the plan was broadly welcomed, some warned Dublin may have to step in again if banks are unable to raise money themselves. The euro fell to 1.3409 dollars from 1.3418. The dollar rose to 93.19 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade from 92.80 yen in New York late Tuesday. Dealers have been moving back to the dollar recently on rising sentiment that the US economy is well on the way to recovery, in turn strengthening the global economy. New York provided a good cue, adding 0.11 percent as dealers welcomed a pick-up in consumer sentiment. Business research firm The Conference Board's consumer confidence index rose to 52.5 points in March, from a revised figure of 46.4 in February, slightly better than the 51.0 forecast. The survey gives clues to the direction of consumer spending, which drives about two-thirds of US economic activity and is considered a key to sustainable recovery. Markets had been rising since Friday as they await the Bank of Japan's key Tankan report into Japanese business confidence, which is released Thursday and is expected to show sentiment is strong. They are also looking to US jobs data Friday, which they forecast will show a rise in employment of about 200,000 in the world's biggest economy in March. Oil was virtually unchanged in Asian trade, with New York's main contract, light sweet crude for May delivery, flat at 82.37 dollars a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for May delivery dropping three cents to 81.25 dollars. Gold closed at 1,108.00-1,109.00 dollars an ounce in Hong Kong, down from Tuesday's close of 1,111.50-1,112.50 dollars. In other markets: -- Singapore fell 1.57 percent, or 45.93 points, to 2,887.46. DBS Group Holdings tumbled 1.79 percent to 14.30 Singapore dollars and Singapore Airlines was off 2.94 percent to 15.20 Singapore dollars. -- Seoul closed 0.43 percent, or 7.34 points, lower at 1,692.85. -- Kuala Lumpur was flat, edging up 1.22 points to close at 1,320.57. -- Taipei fell 0.53 percent, or 42.16 points, to close at 7,920.06. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co fell 1.13 percent to 61.5 Taiwan dollars while Hon Hai was 0.73 percent lower at 137.5. -- Jakarta lost 0.75 percent, or 20.96 points, to close at 2,777.30. -- Manila fell 1.26 percent, or 40.37 points, to end at 3,161.80. Dealers sold up a day after the market hit a 25-month high. Top-traded Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. fell 2.22 percent to 2,420 pesos while Ayala Land Inc. dropped 3.7 percent to 13 pesos. -- Wellington picked up 0.57 percent, or 18.35 points, to close on 3,267.99. Contact Energy rose 22 cents to 6.40 dollars and Mainfreight rose nine cents to 6.34. 