Asian share benchmarks were mixed Tuesday as investors awaited a slew of corporate earnings reports. A meeting of the Federal Reserve and caution over potential twists and turns in US politics kept most indexes trading within a narrow range.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.1 per cent to 19,964.81 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged 0.1 per cent higher to 26,875.11. South Korea's Kospi edged 0.1 per cent lower to 2,449.96.
Australia's S&P ASX 200 gained 0.8 per cent to 5,735.10 and the Shanghai Composite index was flat at 3,249.73. Shares in Southeast Asia were mixed.
The S&P 500 lost 0.1 per cent to 2,469.91 after nine of the 11 sectors that make up the index logged losses. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.3 per cent to 21,513.17.
The Nasdaq composite gained 0.4 per cent to 6,410.81. The Nasdaq is up 19.1 per cent this year, nearly double the rise for broader-market indexes.
Benchmark US crude rose 25 cents to $46.59 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained 57 cents, or 1.2 per cent, to $46.34 per barrel on Monday.
Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, rose 30 cents to $49.12 a barrel.
The euro rose to $1.1646 from $1.1644. The dollar ticked up to 111.14 Japanese yen from 111.10 yen and the British pound climbed to $1.3023 from $1.3007.
