TOKYO (news agencies) — Asian shares were trading mixed Tuesday, as the Tokyo benchmark bounced back and calmed from last week’s plunge.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 3.2% in afternoon trading to 36,156.47. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose nearly 0.2% to 7,826.80. South Korea’s Kospi was little changed, gaining less than 0.1% to 2,618.36. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng inched down less than 0.1% to 17,104.82, while the Shanghai Composite lost 0.4% to 2,846.40.
In Tokyo, computer chip issues were in demand, with Tokyo Electron surging 6.2%, echoing the strong performance of technology-related issues on Wall Street.
Investors also seemed to be cheered by how the recently volatile yen value appeared to be calming. Although a cheap yen is a boon for Japan’s major exporters, like Toyota Motor Corp., by boosting the value of overseas earnings when translated into yen, a cheap currency gradually erodes away at a nation’s purchasing power.
The U.S. dollar rose to 147.66 Japanese yen from 147.17 yen. The euro cost $1.0939, little changed from $1.0935.
“Global geopolitical developments, such as tensions in East Asia, ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe, or disruptions in global trade, could further impact the dollar’s performance,” said Luca Santos, currency analyst at ACY Securities.
Last week, Japanese stocks underwent their worst plunge since the Black Monday crash of 1987. A comment from a senior Bank of Japan official, stressing the importance of stability, helped calm markets somewhat.
Uncertainty around the world, such as the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as worries about China, are adding to worries that tend to set off market swings.
Wall Street drifted through a quiet day of trading Monday, with the S&P 500 ending little changed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 140 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%.
Investors have their eyes on various data expected later this week, including reports on U.S. inflation and retail sales. The best-case scenario would be signs of a slowdown in inflation and strong sales.
Such data influences decisions by the world’s central banks, including the Federal Reserve, which kept its main interest rate at a two-decade high trying to tackle what’s known as “stagflation.” The Fed could ease rates, giving the U.S. economy an upward push but that also threatens to worsen inflation.
Japan’s central bank, in contrast, is trying to ignite inflation in a long deflation-stuck economy by gradually raising interest rates after years of zero or minus rates.
Japan’s April-June real gross domestic product, or GDP, which measures the value of a nation’s products and services, will be released Wednesday.
Some analysts say Japan’s economic growth may be relatively robust, given the recent data on domestic capital investment.
“Actually now that energy and good prices have stabilized, you did see the first increase in real wages and real incomes in over two years in Japan,” said Jesper Koll, strategist and Japan expert, who is now a director at Monex Group.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 3.90% from 3.94% late Friday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed action, fell to 4.01% from 4.06%.
On Wall Street, while most stocks weakened, a 4.1% jump for Nvidia helped offset many of those losses. Because it’s one of the largest U.S. stocks by value, Nvidia’s movements carry extra weight on the S&P 500 and other indexes.
All told, the S&P 500 rose by less than a quarter of a point, 0.23, to 5,344.39. The Dow dropped 140.53 to 39,357.01, and the Nasdaq composite gained 35.31 to 16,780.61.
Several major U.S. companies report their latest earnings results later in the week, including Walmart and Home Depot. Most big U.S. companies have been reporting better profits than analysts expected.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude fell 52 cents to $79.54 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, declined 63 cents to $81.67 a barrel.
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