Asian stocks fall after Wall Street rally stalls

Most Asian markets fell Friday following a retreat on Wall Street and as oil prices weakened on the last trading day before Christmas. Regional stocks mirrored negative sentiment globally, with shares of US retailers falling sharply Thursday on anxiety about the holiday shopping period, and European stocks under pressure over worries about Italy's ailing Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank. Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney were all down Friday amid muted sentiment ahead of the holiday, although Seoul p