Asian shares mostly higher after wobbly day on Wall Street

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Tuesday after a wobbly day on Wall Street as markets cooled off following a rare winning week.

Oil prices pushed higher and U.S. futures also advanced.

Rising energy prices and Treasury bond yields were weighing on sentiment after last week’s rally, and investors were awaiting remarks expected for midweek by central bank leaders including Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde, analysts said.

Investors will get an update on U.S. economic growth on Wednesday when the Commerce Department releases a report on first-quarter gross domestic product. U.S. consumer confidence data is also on the agenda in a week that has few other major economic releases. So some investors have adopted a “wait and see” stance, said Jun Rong Yeap of IG.

“Investors and traders are worried about the soaring inflation situation and weak economic growth, and these two factors continue to flash red signs on their trading dashboards,” Naeem Aslam of Avatrade.com said in a commentary. “The question that traders are asking is if the bear market rally is over.”

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.7% to 27,049.47 while the Kospi in Seoul added 0.8% to 2,422.09. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.9% to 6,763.60.

Chinese shares have gotten a boost from the easing of pandemic restrictions as the country’s latest wave of outbreaks abates.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index reversed early losses, gaining 0.7% to 22,384.57, and the Shanghai Composite index jumped 0.9% to 3,409.21.

Shares fell in Taiwan and India but rose in Bangkok.

Oil prices extended gains after surging on Monday amid reports that producers in the Middle East were at or near maximum capacity, with little leeway to boost production.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil gained $1.82 to $111.39 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It jumped $1.95 to 109.57 per barrel on Monday.

Brent crude, the basis for pricing for international trading, rose $1.79 to $112.77 per barrel. .

On Monday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3% to 3,900.11. The Dow dropped 0.2% to 31,438.26, and the Nasdaq slid 0.7% to 11,524.55.

Smaller company stocks bucked the broader market’s decline. The Russell 2000 rose 0.3% to 1,771.74.

Stocks closed out last week with solid gains and the S&P 500 posted its best day in two years on Friday. Stocks rallied last week as pressure from rising Treasury yields let up somewhat and investors speculated the Federal Reserve may not have to be as aggressive about raising interest rates as earlier thought as it fights to control inflation.

Treasury yields rose again Monday.

Treasury yields rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which helps set mortgage rates, rose to 3.20% from 3.12% late Friday. It slipped to 3.18% early Tuesday.

Wall Street will have a few more reports this week that could provide more insight into inflation, economic growth and the Fed’s path ahead.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has sent energy prices soaring, adding to inflationary pressures following the pandemic. U.S. crude oil prices are up more than 40% for the year. Prices for wheat and corn have also surged.

Group of Seven leaders have been finalizing a deal to seek a price cap on Russian oil, raise tariffs on Russian goods and impose other new sanctions.

In other trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 135.78 Japanese yen from 135.45 yen late Monday. The euro strengthened to $1.0590 from $1.0587.