Asian Shares Show Mixed Performance Following Wall Street's Retreat

Asian shares exhibited a mixed trend on Tuesday, following a slight pullback in US stocks from their recent record levels.

India's Sensex registered a 0.2% increase. I Photo: NSE

US futures experienced a modest decline, while oil prices saw gains, as reported by Elaine Kurtenbach for the Associated Press (AP).

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 remained largely unchanged at 39,239.52 amid subdued trading activity.

This followed a government report indicating a 2.2% increase in consumer prices for January compared to the previous year, slightly lower than December's 2.6% rate but exceeding expectations.

The data raised speculation that the Bank of Japan might consider adjusting its ultra-loose monetary policy, characterized by a benchmark interest rate of minus 0.1%.

Chinese markets presented a mixed picture, with the Hang Seng in Hong Kong declining by 0.2% to 16,595.29, while the Shanghai Composite in mainland China rose by 0.7% to 2,996.87.

In South Korea, the Kospi recorded a 0.9% decline to 2,623.40, while India's Sensex registered a 0.2% increase. Meanwhile, the SET index in Bangkok retreated by 0.5%.

On the previous trading day, the S&P 500 index in the US slipped by 0.4% to 5,069.53, following a record high reached last week. Similarly, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 0.2% to 39,069.23, and the Nasdaq composite edged lower by 0.1% to 15,976.25.

The mixed performance of Asian shares reflected investor caution amid concerns over potential shifts in monetary policies and ongoing geopolitical developments, contributing to the subdued market sentiment observed across the region.

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