Asian Shares Mixed Ahead Of Big US Earnings

(RTTNews) - Asian stocks turned in a mixed performance on Tuesday as investors watched the latest developments in the Middle East and looked forward to earnings results from U.S. titans including Amazon, Apple, Netflix and General Motors for directional cues.

Key U.S. growth and inflation data also remained on investors' radar ahead of the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting on April 30-May 1.

The dollar index was sluggish while gold moved further away from its record high of $2,430 per ounce in an apparent easing of Iran-Israel tensions after the rivals launched missile attacks against each other.

Crude oil prices edged up slightly as EU foreign ministers agreed in principle to expand sanctions on Iran.

Chinese shares fell notably after reports that the head of its central bank wants creditors engaged in debt restructurings for emerging market countries to agree on how to fairly share the burden of relief.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.74 percent to 3,021.98 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rallied 1.92 percent to 16,828.93 after a pledge by China's securities regulator to bolster the market.

Japanese markets eked out modest gains, the yen edged up slightly from a 34-year low and bond yields surged to multi-year highs after a senior ruling party official said that authorities could intervene to support the currency.

The Nikkei average rose 0.30 percent to 37,552.16 ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy-setting meeting, due at the end of this week.

The broader Topix index settled 0.14 percent higher at 2,666.23 as a survey showed Japanese manufacturing activity came close to breaking back into expansionary territory in April.

Seoul stocks edged down slightly, with the Kospi average ending down 0.24 percent at 2,623.02 after a choppy session. Battery maker LG Energy Solution fell 2.3 percent while KB Financial Group shares rose a little over 1 percent.

Australian markets closed higher, lifted by heavyweight financials. The benchmark S&P ASX 200 rose 0.45 percent to 7,683.50 while the broader All Ordinaries index settled 0.45 percent higher at 7,937.90.

Westpac Banking Corp gained 0.9 percent despite flagging a hit to its half-year earnings. Gold miners slid the most, with Northern Star Resources losing 3.5 percent and Regis Resources tumbling 4.6 percent.

Logistics firm Brambles plunged 6.3 percent after posting a fall in third-quarter group volumes.

Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index dropped 0.42 percent to 11,803.28.

U.S. stocks closed higher overnight after a sell-off in the previous session. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9 percent to snap a six-day losing streak as fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East ebbed and investors geared up for quarterly results from megacap companies.

The Dow rose 0.7 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.1 percent.