India's NSE stock futures, listed on the Singapore exchange, were 0.44% lower as of 0214 GMT. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1%.

The NSE Nifty 50 index closed down 0.25% at 18,157 on Wednesday, while the S&P BSE Sensex ended 0.25% lower at 61,033.55.

Data on the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) is due later in the day, with economists polled by Reuters forecasting a decline in both the monthly and yearly core numbers for October to 0.5% and 6.5%, respectively.

India will report its inflation numbers for October next week.

In domestic earnings, Nifty components Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, Eicher Motors, shoe-maker Bata India, food delivery service provider Zomato will report quarterly numbers.

Foreign institutional investors bought net of 3.87 billion Indian rupees ($47.51 million) equities on Wednesday, while domestic investors sold 10.60 billion rupees of shares, as per provisional data available with the National Stock Exchange.

Stocks to watch:

** India will sell a 1.55% stake in Axis Bank through an offer for sale.

** India's Tata Motors said on Wednesday it expects profit and cash flow to bounce back in the second half thanks to healthy demand for its Jaguar Land Rover cars and a drop in domestic steel costs.

** India's Star Health And Allied Insurance reported Sept-qtr profit against a loss year ago.

** Indian gas company Petronet LNG reported fall in quarterly profit.

** Sri Lanka's largest port began on Wednesday construction of a $700 million terminal project, partly funded by Indian ports-to-cement and construction conglomerate Adani Group, an official said, marking the first foray by an Indian company into the sector.

** Indian port operator Adani Ports acquired a 49.38% stake in petroleum logistics service provider Oiltanking for 10.5 billion rupees.

** Indian sugar mills are aggressively signing export deals, contracting for about 1 million tonnes just four days after New Delhi approved exports.

($1 = 81.4650 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil)