STOCKS NEWS ASIA-Shares to fall, hit by stimulus worry

TOKYO, Sept 25 - Asian stocks are likely to fall on Friday after poor U.S. housing data and worries that authorities might be curbing stimulus efforts too soon sparked caution among investors and sent Wall Street lower for the second day.

World central banks said they would scale back infusions of U.S. dollars into their banking systems, fueling unease triggered a day earlier when the U.S. Federal Reserve said it would slow purchases of mortgage debt -- a key pillar of its efforts to support mortgage lending.

Thursday's losses pushed the S&P 500, which has rallied nearly 60 percent in six months from 12-year lows, to its worst two-day drop in three weeks as stocks fell across the board.

Asian stocks listed on Wall Street lost 1.8, while MSCI's measure of Asia Pacific stocks excluding Japan fell 1.2 percent.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock average, which forged to a one-month closing high on Thursday as investors played catch-up after a string of holidays, is also likely to slip.

Nikkei futures traded in Chicago lost 0.6 percent from the Osaka close of 10,460.

The dollar gained against the euro on the central bank news, while sterling neared a six-month low and racked up its worst one-day percentage loss since late April against the euro after Bank of England Governor Mervyn King said a weak pound was helping U.K. exporters and the economy cope with a sharp downturn.

Oil settled 4.5 percent lower at below $66 a barrel as weak U.S. home sales data and high crude oil inventories in the top energy consumer stirred doubts about a potential fuel demand recovery.