Investing.com - Asian-Pacific markets opened in a mixed fashion on Tuesday, despite the decline of US tech stocks ahead of the Consumer Price Index report. ASX futures were up by 0.3% or 20 points as of 8:30 am on Tuesday, indicating a promising start.
By 11:50 am AEDT (12:50 am GMT) the S&P/ASX 200 eased 0.1% while the KOSPI 200 and Nikkei 225 added 1.1% and 1.8% respectively.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, an index of blue-chip stocks, rose by 0.3% to a record high, driven by notable gains in Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS). However, the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite saw a drop as large-cap technology shares experienced a decline.
In the commodities market, Brent crude oil saw a slight decrease of 0.2% to US$82.06 per barrel, and gold prices also dipped by 0.2% to US$2,020.46. In local bond markets, the yield on Australian 2 Year government bonds rose to 3.84%, while the 10 Year yield also increased to 4.16%. US Treasury notes, on the other hand, declined, with the 2 Year yield at 4.47% and the 10 Year yield at 4.17%.
Markets in China and Hong Kong remained closed due to Lunar New Year celebrations, and Japan's markets were also closed in observance of National Foundation Day.
India's Sensex inched 0.1% higher to 71659.73 in thin trading, influenced by Lunar New Year holidays in the region. Investors in India are also anticipating the US January CPI report, which is due out on Tuesday.
In Europe, the pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index rose by 0.3% to 436.34. The DAX in Germany and France's CAC 40 also experienced an uptick, rising by 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively. This positive sentiment was influenced by European Central Bank official Fabio Panetta's comments over the weekend suggesting that a cut in interest rates is imminent.
The FTSE 100 index in the UK closed nearly flat on Monday, affected by a weakness in its heavyweight pharmaceutical stocks. However, gains in commodity producers and retailers managed to keep the index afloat.