The Asian stock markets were largely lower on Wednesday, as the market sentiment was weighed by reports that higher than being allowed levels of radioactive iodine had turned up in the Tokyo tap water.

Throughout the late Asian trade, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index shed 0.25%, South Korea’s Kospi Composite eased down 0.07%, as Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 1.65%.

For the meantime, Japanese government said that the economic cost of the March 11 tsunami and quake could go beyond JPY25 trillion.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi power plant, saw the shares stumble 4.5% after it said engineers were not able to restore the power to the damaged reactors at the site.

Japan’s biggest automaker Toyota saw the shares slump 1.2% after expanding production halts at its Japanese factories until March 26. Shares in rival Honda sank 1.75%, while Nissan lost 2.9%.

Elsewhere, the shares of medical equipment maker Terumo stumbled 4.1% after it downgraded its full-year earnings viewpoint, citing the collision on production due to the quake as well as rolling blackouts.

In Australia, the shares of the nation’s 2nd biggest airliner Virgin Blue Holdings plunged 6% subsequent to it lowered its earnings outlook for the current quarter, citing higher fuel prices and the effects on the tourism from last month’s Cyclone Yasi and the Christchurch earthquake in the New Zealand.

The point of view for European equity markets, temporarily, was downbeat. The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a decline of 0.45%, France’s CAC 40 futures indicated a loss of 0.4%, and the FTSE 100 futures shed 0.2%, while Germany’s DAX futures pointed to a drop of 0.55%.

Afterwards in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on new home sales, as the Chairman of Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke was to deliver a speech at a public meeting.

This was the major Forex Trading News Today.

The U.S. dollar was largely higher next to its main rivals on Monday as concerns over the nuclear crisis in Japan eased as the threat of further interference to stem the Japanese yen’s gains kept markets in check.

Throughout the European morning trade, the greenback was up next to the yen, with USD/JPY increasing 0.74% to hit 81.17.

Previous Monday, the workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant, 155 miles north of Tokyo, managed to arrange power cables to all 6 reactors at the composite and begin a water pump at one before smoke was briefly seen increasing from the site.

The greenback was too higher next to the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF increasing 0.54% to hit 0.9060.

As well as Monday, the coalition forces, including the U.K., the. U.S and France launched a 2nd wave of air strikes on Libya in a stab to eradicate loyalist support for leader Moammar Gadhafi and guard Libyan civilians from government forces.

Elsewhere, the greenback was down next to its New Zealand, Australian and Canadian counterparts, with USD/CAD shedding 0.53% to hit 0.9793, AUD/USD advancing 0.76% to hit 1.0035 and NZD/USD increasing 0.47% to hit 0.7344.

The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of 6 another main currencies, was up 0.16%.

Afterwards in the day, the European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet was to speak at a public meeting, as the U.S. was to publish a report on existing home sales.

This was the major Forex Trading News Today.