FTSE 100 Little Changed In Directionless Trade

The Australian stock market is extending its early gains in mid-market trading on Tuesday, adding to the gains in the previous two sessions, following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is moving above the 8,850 level, with gains across most sectors led by mining and technology shares.

Asian markets are trading mixed on Tuesday, following the positive cues from Wall Street overnight, as traders remain optimistic about the outlook for the markets amid expectations of further interest rate cuts by the US Fed. Some traders are also looking to cash in on the recent strength in the markets. However, escalating tensions in Europe and the Middle East are weighing on market sentiment.

Indian shares look set to open on a weak note on Tuesday as investors keep a close eye on ongoing trade talks with the U.S. as well as escalating tensions in Europe and the Middle East, with EU targeting Russian supplies and Ukraine intensifying its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

The Thai stock market has moved lower in four straight sessions, shedding more than 25 points or 1.9 percent along the way. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just above the 1,280-point plateau although it's due for support on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets continued to be mildly positive on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European markets were mixed and the U.S. bourses were up and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The SET finished modestly lower on Monday following losses from the food, finance, industrial, property, resource, service and technology sectors. For the day, the index lost 10.18 points or 0.79 percent to finish at the daily low of 1,282.54 after peaking at 1,296.42. Volume was 8.171 billion shares worth 31.595 billion baht. There were 356 decliners and 128 gainers, with 167 stocks finishing unchanged. Among the actives, Advanced Info lost 0.68 percent, while Thailand Airport crashed 0.64 percent, Asset World sank 0.83 percent, Banpu plunged 2.48 percent, Bangkok Bank collected 0.68 percent, Bangkok Expressway eased 0.97 percent, BTS Group gave up 1.24 percent, CP All Public dipped 0.52 percent, Charoen Pokphand Foods dropped 0.86 percent, Energy Absolute declined 1.64 percent, Gulf weakened 1.63 percent, Kasikornbank and PTT Global Chemical both slumped 0.91 percent, Krung Thai Bank skidded 0.99 percent, Krung Thai Card retreated 1.64 percent, PTT Oil & Retail fell 0.72 percent, PTT slid 0.75 percent, PTT Exploration and Production was down 0.87 percent, SCG Packaging tanked 2.69 percent, Siam Commercial Bank added 0.40 percent, Siam Concrete tumbled 1.77 percent, Thai Oil plummeted 2.70 percent, True Corporation contracted 0.93 percent, TTB Bank shed 0.53 percent and B. Grimm and Bangkok Dusit Medical were unchanged.

The Indonesia stock market has finished lower in two of three trading days since the end of the seven-day winning streak in which it had surged almost 400 points or 5 percent. The Jakarta Composite Index sits just above the 8,040-point plateau and it figures to hold steady in that neighborhood again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets continued to be mildly positive on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European markets were mixed and the U.S. bourses were up and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The JCI finished slightly lower on Monday as losses from the financial shares and telecoms were mitigated by support from the resource and cement companies. For the day, the index dipped 11.08 points or 0.14 percent to finish at 8,040.04 after trading between 8,005.35 and 8,087.93. Among the actives, Bank CIMB Niaga fell 0.29 percent, while Bank Mandiri advanced 0.91 percent, Bank Danamon Indonesia collected 0.85 percent, Bank Negara Indonesia retreated 1.41 percent, Bank Central Asia and Astra Agro Lestari both dropped 0.96 percent, Bank Rakyat Indonesia tanked 2.12 percent, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison retreated 1.59 percent, Indocement improved 0.72 percent, Semen Indonesia strengthened 1.39 percent, Indofood Sukses Makmur rose 0.32 percent, Astra International shed 0.44 percent, Energi Mega Persada surged 7.14 percent, Aneka Tambang rallied 3.77 percent, Vale Indonesia soared 3.71 percent, Timah spiked 5.00 percent, Bumi Resources skyrocketed 6.14 percent and United Tractors was unchanged.

The Hong Kong stock market has alternated between positive and negative finishes through the last five trading days since the end of the two-day winning streak in which it had jumped more than 360 points or 1.4 percent. The Hang Seng Index now sits just beneath the 26,350-point plateau although it's expected to bounce higher again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets continued to be mildly positive on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European markets were mixed and the U.S. bourses were up and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The Hang Seng finished modestly lower on Monday following losses from the financial shares and property stocks, while the technology shares were mixed. For the day, the index sank 200.96 points or 0.76 percent to finish at 26,344.14 after trading between 26,204.01 and 26,479.14. Among the actives, Alibaba Group perked 0.06 percent, while Alibaba Health Info slipped 1.14 percent, ANTA Sports slumped 2.22 percent, China Life Insurance tumbled 3.05 percent, China Mengniu Dairy lost 1.31 percent, China Resources Land retreated 2.41 percent, CITIC plummeted 4.72 percent, CNOOC fell 1.24 percent, Galaxy Entertainment was down 1.18 percent, Haier Smart Home tanked 2.52 percent, Hang Lung Properties shed 1.35 percent, Henderson Land skidded 1.77 percent, Hong Kong & China Gas dropped 1.60 percent, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China declined 2.38 percent, JD.com stumbled 3.31 percent, Lenovo jumped 1.50 percent, Li Auto dipped 1.14 percent, Li Ning added 0.45 percent, Meituan contracted 2.26 percent, New World Development advanced 0.72 percent, Nongfu Spring sank 1.38 percent, Techtronic Industries plunged 4.03 percent, Xiaomi Corporation slid 1.06 percent, WuXi Biologics surged 6.09 percent and CSPC Pharmaceutical was unchanged.

The Australian stock market is trading modestly higher on Tuesday, adding to the gains in the previous two sessions, following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is moving well above the 8,800 level, with gains across most sectors led by mining and technology shares.

The China stock market on Monday snapped the two-day slide in which it had dropped more than 55 points or 1.5 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index now rests just beneath the 3,830-point plateau and it's expected to open to the upside again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets continued to be mildly positive on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European markets were mixed and the U.S. bourses were up and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The SCI finished slightly higher on Monday as gains from the broader market were capped by weakness from the financials and resource stocks. For the day, the index gained 8.49 points or 0.22 percent to finish at 3,828.58 after trading between 3,806.20 and 3,831.74. The Shenzhen Composite Index improved 13.80 points or 0.56 percent to end at 2,486.42. Among the actives, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China was down 0.28 percent, while Bank of China contracted 1.51 percent, Agricultural Bank of China plunged 2.41 percent, China Merchants Bank eased 0.20 percent, Bank of Communications stumbled 2.01 percent, China Life Insurance skidded 1.02 percent, Jiangxi Copper declined 1.21 percent, Aluminum Corp of China (Chalco) lost 0.65 percent, Yankuang Energy slumped 0.96 percent, PetroChina shed 0.61 percent, China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) sank 0.75 percent, Huaneng Power tumbled 1.90 percent, China Shenhua Energy dipped 0.23 percent, Gemdale dropped 0.95 percent, Poly Developments retreated 1.39 percent and China Vanke rose 0.29 percent.