Asian share benchmarks were mostly higher Tuesday after U.S. stocks clawed back a chunk of their losses from the week before.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% to 37,552.16, despite the country’s manufacturing activity contracting for 11 straight months while approaching the break-even point in April. A purchasing managers survey showed sentiment at 49.9, on a scale of up to 100 where 50 marks the break between expansion and contraction.
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.6% to 16,771.17 while the Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.8% to 3,019.64.
On Monday, the S & P 500 gained 0.5% to 5,010.60 to recover more than a quarter of last week’s rout. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7% to 38,239.98, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.1% to 15,451.31.
In oil trading, U.S. benchmark crude picked up 16 cents to $82.06 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 18 cents to $87.18 per barrel.
