Asian shares slip, but upbeat Japan GDP lifts Nikkei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares got off to a lackluster start on Wednesday after a mixed day on Wall Street, though Japan's better-than-expected economic growth lifted the Nikkei to a nearly one-month high.

The euro remained pressured by expectations that the European Central Bank would increase its bond-buying stimulus.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down about 0.1 percent in early trade.

The Nikkei stock index rose 0.8 percent after data before the market open showed Japan's economy grew at a 2.4 percent annualized rate in the January-March period, its fastest pace in a year, on a pick-up in capital spending and beating the consensus estimate for 1.5 percent growth.

Wall Street put in a mixed performance on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average eking out a slight gain to close at a fresh record high, while the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 both edged down, though the latter touched a record intraday high.

Data showed that U.S. housing starts jumped to their highest level in nearly 7-1/2 years in April and building permits soared, raising hopes that the economy was regaining strength after stalling the first quarter but also rekindling fears that the U.S. Federal Reserve would raise interest rates later this year.

The euro licked its wounds after plunging more than 1 percent against the dollar in the previous session, after European Central Bank Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said the ECB could "moderately" increase its bond-buying program in May and June, and possibly in September.

The common currency was buying $1.1145, slightly down on the day.

"There are some positioning stories in the EUR but I don't think it is an overall driving force right now. I believe investors are just pulling back to let the dust settle before they take the next step," said Bart Wakabayashi, head of forex at State Street in Tokyo.

The dollar was slightly higher against the yen at 120.82, though the better-than-expected GDP figures made it less likely that the Bank of Japan would take additional easing steps anytime soon. The BOJ is likely to stand pat at a policy meeting ending on Friday.

Crude oil futures took back some lost ground after sinking more than 3 percent overnight as the dollar strengthened.

Brent added about 0.8 percent to $64.52 a barrel while U.S. crude also added about 0.8 percent to

$58.43, after both shed more than $2 a barrel on Tuesday.

(Editing by Jacqueline Wong)