Investing.com - Asian-Pacific markets opened in a mixed fashion on Tuesday, as US indices experienced a modest rise overnight, while French stocks lead gains in Europe.
By 11:00 am AEST (1:00 am GMT) the S&P/ASX 200 eased 0.1%, the KOSPI 200 fell 0.7% while the Nikkei 225 gained 0.2%.
US share markets started July positively, despite being challenged by a sharp rise in bond yields. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, the S&P 500 gained 0.3%, and the NASDAQ Composite rose 0.8%.
European share markets also rose on Monday, halting the declines that featured last week, as investors expressed relief that the far right is less likely to gain a majority following French Parliamentary elections at the weekend.
The US dollar regained strength after previous losses triggered by the initial results of the French election. Meanwhile, US Treasury yields experienced a rise across the curve, with the more significant gains observed in the longer-end.
Chinese shares closed higher, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rising 0.92% to 2,994.73, and the Shenzhen Composite Index gaining 0.77% to 1,630.49.
Hong Kong shares closed mixed, with the Hang Seng Index marginally rising 0.01% to 17,718.61 and the Hang Seng Tech Index dropping 0.95% to 3,912.81.
In Japan, the Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.61% to 39,583.08, while Indian shares also ended on a high note, with the Sensex gaining 0.10% to 73,961.31.
In the currency markets, the Euro moderated from $US1.0777 to $US1.0720 and was near $US1.0740 at the US close. The Aussie dollar traded as high as US66.80 cents before retreating to US66.44 cents and was near US66.59 cents at the US close. The Japanese yen weakened, from 161.05 yen per US dollar to JPY161.73 and was near JPY161.48 at the US close.
Among commodities, oil prices rose as traders considered a growing demand picture in response to the US Summer driving season. Brent crude rose $US1.60 or 1.9% to $US86.60 a barrel, and the US Nymex crude price rose 2.3% to $US83.38 a barrel.
Base metal prices were mixed, with Copper Futures firming by 0.8%, reflecting an early moderation in the US Dollar, while aluminium futures ended the session with a decline of 0.9%.