Asian stocks mostly rose in muted trading Tuesday in the absence of major market-driving news on trade negotiations during the visit of US President Donald Trump to Japan.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.4 per cent in early trading to 21,274.60, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.6 per cent to 6,490.40.
South Korea’s Kospi was little changed but inched up to 2,045.11. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.3 per cent to 27,375.16, while the Shanghai Composite rose nearly 0.6 per cent to 2,908.40.
Markets in the United States were closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday, reports AP.
Stocks rose in Europe on Monday, as pro-EU forces retained a majority in the 28-nation bloc’s parliament despite the rise of nationalist parties in a region-wide vote. Britain’s exchange remained closed for a bank holiday.
In the European election, far right and populist parties were among the biggest winners, as voters voiced concerns over immigration and security.
Benchmark US crude rose 55 cents to $59.18 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 6 cents to $68.71 per barrel.
The dollar slipped slightly to 109.48 yen from 109.53 yen on Monday. The euro edged down to $1.1182 from $1.1193.
