TOKYO -- Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday after a fresh promise of stimulus from Beijing helped to counter pessimism over recent weak trade data from China.
KEEPING SCORE: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 2.2 per cent to 16,565.19 as the dollar regained strength, a boon for the nation's exporters. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.4 per cent to 5,342.80. South Korea's Kospi added 0.8 per cent to 1,982.50. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.6 per cent to 20,268.26, while the Shanghai Composite inched up 0.02 per cent to 2,832.59.
CHINA FACTOR: China's Cabinet approved measures to boost exports as Beijing struggles to reduce gluts in many industries and reverse an export decline that threatens to cause politically dangerous job losses. The measures announced late Monday include more bank lending, an increase in tax rebates and support for export credits. They followed a decline in trade in April.
ENERGY: U.S. crude rose 32 cents to $43.76 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell $1.22 overnight to $43.44. Brent crude, the benchmark for international oil prices, added 30 cents to $43.93 a barrel in London.
THE QUOTE: "Two developing macro themes are set to dominate markets in the near-term: the continued gain in the U.S. dollar and the pullback in the oil price. Last night saw these trends continue to develop," Angus Nicholson of IG said in a note.
WALL STREET: The Dow Jones industrial average edged down 34.72 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 17,705.91 as machinery maker Caterpillar and energy giant Chevron lost ground. The Standard & Poor's 500 index picked up 1.55 points to 2,058.69. The Nasdaq composite index rose 14.05 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 4,750.21.
CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 108.86 yen from 108.29 yen. The euro slipped to $ 1.1390 from $1.1401.
AP Markets Writer Marley Jay contributed to this report
