Asian shares were mostly lower on Tuesday as investors stepped back as the markets are awaiting the Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday and the outcome of a major Chinese planning conference.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.3 per cent to 22,866.17 while South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.5 per cent to 2,458.56. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong shed 0.2 per cent to 28,894.58.
The Shanghai Composite index shed 0.7 per cent to 3,300.24. The S&P ASX 200 added 0.3 per cent to 6,013.20, but India’s Sensex dropped 0.4 per cent to 33,314.89.
Other regional markets were mostly lower, according to AP.
US stocks ended modestly higher Monday. The S&P 500 index rose 0.3 per cent to 2,659.99. The Dow gained 0.2 per cent to 24,386.03 and the Nasdaq composite added 0.5 per cent to 6,875.08.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks slipped 0.1 per cent to 1,519.84.
Bitcoin futures rose on their first day of trading on a major US exchange, with the first-ever futures contract gaining 20 per cent to close at $18,545, according to data from Cboe Global Markets.
The price of an actual bitcoin has soared since it began the year below $1,000 and was at $16,502.25 as of 06:20 GMT Tuesday, according to Coindesk.
Benchmark US crude gained 43 cents to $58.42 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It advanced 63 cents, or 1.1 per cent, to settle at $57.99 per barrel on Monday.
Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 86 cents to $65.55 per barrel. It added $1.29, or 2 per cent, to close at $64.69 per barrel in London.
The dollar edged down to 113.44 Japanese yen from 113.55 yen late Monday. The euro rose to $1.1744 from $1.1770.
