Asia-Pacific markets opened on a mixed note Tuesday, as investors largely shrugged off renewed tariff threats from United States President Donald Trump and shifted focus to upcoming economic data releases from China and the U.S.
By 11:05 am AEST (1:05 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.4%, hitting fresh intraday record highs, Japan’s Nikkei 225 dipped 0.1%, while South Korea’s Kospi 200 slipped 0.2%.
Among data releases, Westpac's consumer confidence edged up slightly in July, with its Consumer Sentiment Index rising 0.6% to 93.1.
However, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to hold rates in July appeared to dampen the potential for a stronger rise. Most respondents still expect interest rates to move lower in the coming months.
Market participants are also looking toward fresh Chinese gross domestic product (GDP) growth, industrial production and retail sales at 12 pm AEST.
In the U.S., all three major benchmarks finished higher on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.2%, the S&P 500 gaining 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite advancing 0.3%.
In commodities, Brent crude retreated from recent multi-week highs, falling 1.6% to US$69.21 per barrel. Spot gold also eased, slipping 0.4% to US$3,349.96 per ounce.
Chinese shares extended gains, with the Shanghai Composite adding 0.3% to reach a new nine-month high of 3,519.6. The CSI 300 rose marginally by 0.1% to 4,017.7.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was up 0.3% at 24,203.3, while India’s BSE Sensex bucked the regional trend, falling 0.3% to 82,253.5.
European markets closed mixed overnight. The UK’s FTSE 100 rose 0.6% to 8,998.1, while Germany’s DAX lost 0.4% to finish at 24,160.6. France’s CAC 40 also edged down 0.3% to 7,808.2.
