Asia-Pacific equities advanced on Tuesday, with Australia's ASX 200 and Japan’s Nikkei 225 trading at all-time highs as investor sentiment improved following a further extension of the United States-China tariff truce.
Investors also turned their attention to the Reserve Bank of Australia, which is widely expected to cut interest rates later in the day.
By 11:30 pm AEST (1:30 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.1%, adding to Monday’s record close.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.2% to its highest level on record as trading resumed after a public holiday, while South Korea’s Kospi 200 climbed 0.8%.
In the United States on Monday, markets retreated, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.5%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.3% apiece.
Commodities were mixed. Brent crude inched up 0.1% to settle at US$66.63 a barrel, while spot gold fell 1.6% to a weekly low of $3,342.67 per ounce.
Chinese shares also advanced, with the Shanghai Composite rising 0.3% to multi-month highs of 3,647.6 and the CSI 300 gaining 0.4% to 4,122.5.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged up 0.2% to 24,906.8, and India’s BSE Sensex gained 0.9% to close at 80,604.1.
European markets were mixed. London’s FTSE 100 added 0.4% to 9,129.7, Germany’s DAX eased 0.3% to 24,081.3, and France’s CAC 40 declined 0.6% to 7,698.5.
