Pandemic and Political Turmoil Leave Asian Markets Mixed Tuesday

Asian markets are mixed Tuesday as the worsening coronavirus pandemic around the world, coupled with the political turmoil in the United States, is putting a damper on trading activity.

The Nikkei index in Tokyo finished 25 points higher, but was virtually unchanged percentage-wise (+0.09%), while the Shanghai Composite rose 2.1%.

Sydney’s S&P/ASX index lost 0.2%. Seoul’s KOSPI index closed 0.7% lower, while the TSEC index in Taipei was down 0.3%.

Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng index is up 1.1% in late afternoon trading, and Mumbai’s Sensex is 0.3% higher.

In commodities trading, gold is selling at $1,858.80, up 0.4%. U.S. crude oil is selling at $52.65 per barrel, up 0.7%, and Brent crude is selling at $56.01 per barrel, up 0.6%.

The three major U.S. indices — the Dow, S&P 500 and the Nasdaq — are all trending positively in futures trading.