Asian shares and U.S. futures experienced mixed trading on Tuesday, following a holiday closure for U.S. markets.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 reversed earlier gains, declining 0.3% to 66,170.34. This dip came after government data indicated a slightly stronger annualized economic growth rate of 1.4% for the April-June quarter, a revision from the initial 1.1% estimate. Oxford Economics noted that while business investment saw an increase, it still contracted by 0.9%. The firm's commentary suggested that consumption boosts from policy measures are waning, and rising inflation driven by businesses passing on increased costs could erode consumer purchasing power.
Early Tuesday, the U.S. dollar weakened against the Japanese yen, falling to 153.47 yen from 154.34 yen. The yen's recent appreciation is attributed to expectations of potential intervention by U.S. and Japanese authorities to stabilize its value. The dollar had briefly traded around 160 yen last week.
South Korea's Kospi outperformed regional markets, climbing 1% to 7,060.79, propelled by sustained investment in computer chipmakers. Samsung Electronics shares rose 2.9%, and SK Hynix saw a 5.3% increase.
In other Asian markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.4% to 25,312.10, while Shanghai's Composite index edged up 0.1% to 3,938.33. China reported that its August exports surged 25% year-on-year, with significant demand for automobiles and high-tech goods. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.8% to 8,937.90.
On the U.S. economic front, investors are awaiting key inflation reports this week. The Producer Price Index (PPI) for August, which tracks prices at the wholesale level, is scheduled for release on Thursday. This will be followed by the more widely watched Consumer Price Index (CPI) for August on Friday, providing insights into price changes for a range of goods and services.
In energy markets, Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 71 cents to $97.74 a barrel. U.S. benchmark crude surged 1.8% to $93.13 a barrel, with oil prices influenced by ongoing geopolitical tensions.
The euro remained unchanged against the dollar, trading at $1.1624.