- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Oil extends gains, jobs report lifts Wall Street
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Top EU court finds against FIFA in key transfer market ruling
- Oil extends gains, Hong Kong stocks resume rally
- 'A man provides': Ukrainian miners send families away as Russia advances
- EU states greenlight extra tariffs on EVs from China
- Hong Kong stocks resume rally, oil dips after Middle East-fuelled surge
- Crude stable after Israel-Iran surge, Hong Kong stocks resume gains
- Hera spacecraft to probe asteroid deflected by defence test
- US dockworkers to head back to work after tentative deal
- After Helene's destruction, North Carolina starts to rebuild
- Dockers end three-day strike at Montreal port
- What next for OpenAI after $157 billion bonanza?
- Israel-Hamas war causes 86-percent dive in Gaza GDP: IMF
- Milan's Morata moves house after Inter-fan town mayor 'violates' privacy
- 'Devastating' storm hits Augusta National but Masters will go on
- Relief in Brazil, Asia over delay to EU deforestation rules
- Oil prices jump, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Biden says 'discussing' possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
- Oil prices rise, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Oil rallies, stocks mostly retreat on Middle East tensions
- Phasing out teen smoking could save 1.2 mn lives: study
- 'Welcome relief': Asia producers hail EU deforestation law delay
- Japan PM slated to announce plans for 'happiness index'
- Turkish inflation falls less than expected in September at 49.4%
- Easing inflation lifts profit at UK supermarket Tesco
- Skiing calls on UN climate science to combat melting future
Asian markets mixed ahead of US midterms
Asian markets were mixed on Tuesday following an upbeat session on Wall Street as investors look towards crucial midterm elections that polls show could upend power in Washington.
Shares fell in Hong Kong and Shanghai as speculation about a possible rollback of China's strict zero-Covid policies fuelled volatility, even after the government vowed to stick with its harsh lockdowns and testing regimes.
But Tokyo stocks gained 1.3 percent at the break, extending rallies in New York, where stocks ended higher and the dollar retreated against both the pound and the euro.
Early voting has begun in many states and most US voters go to the polls on Tuesday, with a Republican takeover of Congress likely dooming President Joe Biden's ambitious proposals.
Polls show Republicans are likely to win at least one house of Congress -- and some see the prospect of further Washington gridlock as a scenario that could lessen the risk of policy uncertainty.
"This may very well be taken as a positive for equity markets over coming days," Clifford Bennett, chief economist at ACY Securities, said in a note.
"The Biden administration, while welcomed to office by financial markets, has nonetheless delivered on being a very big spending government," Bennett said.
"It is difficult to argue the extreme inflation and slowing economy are entirely the Biden administration's fault, but voters will be very clear in their feelings on the matter just the same."
On Monday, US stocks climbed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing up 1.3 percent and the broad-based S&P 500 rising 1.0 percent.
The next major data point that investors are watching is US inflation data due on Thursday.
Seoul gained 0.8 percent, Taipei jumped 1.0 percent and Sydney was up 0.3 percent in morning trade, with Singapore also rising 0.2 percent.
But Hong Kong was down 0.6 percent after jumping nearly three percent in the previous session as investors continued to hope for a relaxation of China's strict Covid-19 rules.
"Speculation about reopening continues to add some market volatility," Taylor Nugent, an economist at National Australia Bank, said in a commentary.
"In a timely reminder of the potential for Covid policy to hit output, Apple warned iPhone shipments will be lower than previously expected after China lockdowns affected operations at a supplier's factory," he noted.
Shanghai was down 0.6 percent, while Jakarta fell 0.3 percent, Bangkok retreated 0.2 percent and Wellington dropped 0.7 percent.
- Key figures around 0230 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 27,879.70 (break)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.6 percent at 16,491.63
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.6 percent at 3,057.89
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.1517 from $1.1513 on Monday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0012 from $1.0023
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.59 from 146.68 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.97 pence from 87.03 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.1 percent at $91.63 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.8 percent at $97.80 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 1.3 percent at 32,827.00 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 7,299.99 (close)
A.Samuel--CPN