Asian markets experienced declines on Thursday as concerns over Federal Reserve rate cut prospects loomed, following positive US economic data. Asian stocks showed varied performances, with markets in Japan, Australia, and South Korea down, while mainland China and Hong Kong saw slight gains, supported by new manufacturing data from China. The Bank of Japan’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged affected the yen, which remained volatile, maintaining its position at roughly 153 to the US dollar. Meanwhile, US futures declined amid post-market losses from tech giants Microsoft and Meta, who…