Asian shares retreated Tuesday in quiet trading as investors awaited signs of what might be ahead for US interest rates.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was flat at 21,526.22, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.3 per cent to 6,653.60. South Korea’s Kospi was marginally lower, down 0.1 per cent at 2,063.14.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.4 per cent to 28,221.67, while the Shanghai Composite lost 0.2 per cent to 2,927.34, reports AP.
The S&P 500 fell 0.5 per cent to 2,975.95. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.4 per cent to 26,806.14. The Nasdaq composite lost 0.8 per cent to 8,098.38.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks dropped 0.9 per cent to 1,561.39.
Benchmark crude oil dipped 15 cents to $57.51 a barrel. It rose 15 cents to $57.66 a barrel Monday. Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell 16 cents to $63.95 a barrel.
The dollar rose to 108.86 Japanese yen from 108.40 yen Monday. The euro weakened to $1.1213 from $1.1230.