Investing.com – Asian stocks were mixed on Tuesday, as market sentiment was weighed by the euro zone’s ongoing debt crisis, while shares in the energy sector performed strongly.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 0.89%, South Korea's Kospi Composite added 0.36%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index shed 0.29%.
The Nikkei’s losses came as shares of Japanese exporters declined. Shares in the world’s largest digital camera maker Canon dropped 1.42%, automaker Nissan saw shares shed 0.70%, while shares in industrial robot manufacturer Fanuc, which gets approximately 79% of its sales abroad dropped 0.92%.
Meanwhile, shares in Japan’s largest steel maker Nippon Steel surged 3.77%, while shares in rival JFE Holdings jumped 2.54% after Japan’s steel industry was upgraded by Credit Suisse.
Earlier in the day, Japan’s finance minister Yoshihiko Noda said that Japan would consider purchasing more than 20% of bonds to be issued this month by the European Financial Stability Facility in order to prevent the euro zone’s debt crisis spreading.
Elsewhere, in Hong Kong, shares in the commodity sector led gains as crude oil and metal prices advanced.
Shares in China’s largest offshore oil producer Cnooc surged 2.47%, oil and gas giant PetroChina saw shares climbed 1.68%, while shares in the nation’s largest copper producer Jiangxi Copper rallied 2.35%.
Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index shed 0.03% as shares in insurance providers declined amid speculation claims would increase as worsening floods in Queensland killed at least eight people overnight and threatened to hit the state’s capital, Brisbane.
Shares in Australia’s second largest insurance group Insurance Australia tumbled 1.29%, while rival Suncorp Group, which gets approximately 26% of its premiums from Queensland plunged 3.72%.
The outlook for European equity markets, meanwhile, was modestly upbeat. The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a rise of 0.11%, France’s CAC 40 futures indicated a gain of 0.02%, the FTSE 100 futures pointed to an increase of 0.08%, while Germany's DAX futures were up 0.21%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on wholesale inventories, as well as a report on economic optimism.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 0.89%, South Korea's Kospi Composite added 0.36%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index shed 0.29%.
The Nikkei’s losses came as shares of Japanese exporters declined. Shares in the world’s largest digital camera maker Canon dropped 1.42%, automaker Nissan saw shares shed 0.70%, while shares in industrial robot manufacturer Fanuc, which gets approximately 79% of its sales abroad dropped 0.92%.
Meanwhile, shares in Japan’s largest steel maker Nippon Steel surged 3.77%, while shares in rival JFE Holdings jumped 2.54% after Japan’s steel industry was upgraded by Credit Suisse.
Earlier in the day, Japan’s finance minister Yoshihiko Noda said that Japan would consider purchasing more than 20% of bonds to be issued this month by the European Financial Stability Facility in order to prevent the euro zone’s debt crisis spreading.
Elsewhere, in Hong Kong, shares in the commodity sector led gains as crude oil and metal prices advanced.
Shares in China’s largest offshore oil producer Cnooc surged 2.47%, oil and gas giant PetroChina saw shares climbed 1.68%, while shares in the nation’s largest copper producer Jiangxi Copper rallied 2.35%.
Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index shed 0.03% as shares in insurance providers declined amid speculation claims would increase as worsening floods in Queensland killed at least eight people overnight and threatened to hit the state’s capital, Brisbane.
Shares in Australia’s second largest insurance group Insurance Australia tumbled 1.29%, while rival Suncorp Group, which gets approximately 26% of its premiums from Queensland plunged 3.72%.
The outlook for European equity markets, meanwhile, was modestly upbeat. The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a rise of 0.11%, France’s CAC 40 futures indicated a gain of 0.02%, the FTSE 100 futures pointed to an increase of 0.08%, while Germany's DAX futures were up 0.21%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on wholesale inventories, as well as a report on economic optimism.