Stocks in Asia were mixed on Tuesday, as Wall Street slipped overnight and amid geopolitical tensions between Saudi Arabia and the international community.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 regained 277.94 points, or 1.3%, to 22,549.24. Shares of Softbank bounced by 3.6% following yesterday's tumble.
The Japanese yen was at 112.11 against the U.S. dollar, losing much of its gains from yesterday.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index moved up 17.2 points, or 0.1%, to 25,462.26
In Australia, the heavily weighted financials sub-index saw gains of 0.6% with major banks trending higher — Australia and New Zealand Banking Group was higher by 0.5%,Commonwealth Bank of Australia gained 0.2% while National Australia Bank (NAB) advanced by 0.6%
NAB had announced additional costs of 314 million Australian dollars ($224 million U.S.), which will go toward refunding customers who were overcharged. Australia's largest financial institutions have been under the spotlight after an inquiry exposed large-scale wrongdoing across the entire sector.
The Australian dollar was at $0.7119 U.S. after rising from the $0.71 handle in the previous session.
Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi remained in focus, with markets concerned about the possible impact it could have on oil prices.
Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi administration, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered an internal investigation, in collaboration with a Turkish team, regarding his disappearance amid an international outcry.
CHINA
The CSI 300 surrendered 25.48 points, or 0.8%, to 3,100.97
China's consumer inflation in September rose 2.5% compared to a year ago and 0.7% higher than August, government data on Tuesday showed. Producer inflation however cooled from gains of 4.1% in August — an indication of slowing economic momentum amid escalating trade tensions with the U.S.
In other markets
In Singapore, the Straits Times STI index dropped 11.66 points, or 0.4%, to 3,034.31
In Taiwan, the Taiex index regained 79.98 points, or 0.8%, to 9,981.10
In Korea, the Kospi index was unchanged at 2,145.12
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 doffed 34.62 points, or 0.4%, to 8,803.45
In Australia, the ASX 200 restocked 32.78 points, or 0.6%, to 5,869.88
