Asian share indexes edged lower Tuesday in mostly muted trading after a retreat overnight on Wall Street. Australia’s benchmark led the decline, falling more than 2% Tuesday ahead of a Reserve Bank of Australia decision that is expected to keep interest rates unchanged.
Asian Shares
- The Japanese government reported that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July stood at 2.9%, little changed from recent months.
- Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.1% to 23,107.90 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong also fell 0.1%, to 25,171.86.
- South Korea’s Kospi gained 1% to 2,349.32. The Shanghai Composite index was virtually flat, at 3,397.14.
- The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 2.1% to 5,931.30 ahead of the RBA’s policy announcement.
Oil Price
- Benchmark U.S. crude oil added 41 cents to $43.02 a barrel. It fell 36 cents to $42.61 a barrel Monday.
- Brent crude, the international standard, rose 47 cents to $45.75 a barrel.
Currency Prices
- The U.S. dollar edged down to 105.68 Japanese yen from 105.94 yen.
- The euro cost $1.1992, up from $1.1940.