Asian stocks decline after the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Richard Fisher, said the U.S. central bank should curb its record stimulus as soon as possible.

Financial companies in South Korea including Shinhan Financial Group Co., Mirae Asset Securities Co. and Hana Financial Group Inc. fell more than 3 percent. Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd. (CCL), Australia’s largest listed drinks company, declined 4.7 percent after predicting 2013 earnings to drop. MStar Semiconductor Inc., an electronics component maker, advanced 7 percent to close at a record in Taipei.
The MSCI Asia Pacific excluding Japan Index dropped 0.3 percent to 478.22 after rising as much as 0.2 percent. Nearly twice as many stocks fell as rose on the index.

The Fed began changing its rhetoric after its last meeting last month mentioning signs of “underlying strength” in American economy that have people talking about the cost of quantitative easing and the possibility of its curbing sooner than previously anticipated.