Asian shares edge higher in early trade Tuesday, gold steadies(Update)

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was last up about 0.2 percent, after wavering between positive and negative territory for much of early trading. Japan's Nikkei share index rose 0.4 percent as markets reopened after a public holiday on Monday, climbing to three-week highs on growing expectations for strong first-quarter earnings. Spot gold added about 0.6 percent on the day to US$1,103.28 an ounce, after what traders described as a mini flash crash in the previous session. (A Reuters file picture shows a man walking past a board displaying the Nikkei average in Tokyo.)

TOKYO: Asian shares edged higher on Tuesday, taking heart from fresh highs on Wall Street, while gold prices took back some lost ground after plunging more than 4 percent to five-year lows in the previous session.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was last up about 0.2 percent, after wavering between positive and negative territory for much of early trading.

Japan's Nikkei share index rose 0.4 percent as markets reopened after a public holiday on Monday, climbing to three-week highs on growing expectations for strong first-quarter earnings.

"Although companies won't likely change their full-year forecasts this time," investors are keen to see business plans are on track, said Masayuki Kubota, chief strategist at Rakuten Securities. "Most of them expect to confirm that companies' earnings are resilient."

Spot gold added about 0.6 percent on the day to US$1,103.28 an ounce, after what traders described as a mini flash crash in the previous session.

The rout caused concern on Wall Street and kept U.S. share gains in check, though all three major indexes posted modest rises and the Nasdaq Composite still managed to mark its third straight record close. The S&P 500 ended less than 3 points from its record close on May 21.

"The decline in gold prices is consistent with the drop in the VIX and the rise in equities that took the Nasdaq to a record high," Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management said in a note to clients.

"It signals to FX traders that there is a sense of calm in the markets," she said.

Part of that calm is due to a more stable situation in Greece, where banks reopened as Athens began the process of paying off billions of euros owed to international creditors after it agreed to a new reform plan in exchange for another bailout to keep it in the euro zone.

Investors also have less incentive to hold gold, as the dollar strengthens ahead of an expected increase in U.S. interest rates later this year, the first in nearly a decade.

Underpinning the greenback, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard told Fox Business Network that there was a better than 50 percent chance that the U.S. central bank will raise interest rates in September.

The dollar jumped to its highest since April 23 against a basket of major currencies <.DXY> on Monday, before paring gains and ending flat, and was last steady on the day at 98.051 in Asian trading.

The euro edged up slightly on the day to $1.0826 , after dipping to its lowest since mid-April overnight.

The dollar added about 0.1 percent against the yen to buy 124.36 after earlier matching a 4-1/2-week peak of 124.390 yen scaled on Monday.

In other commodities trading, crude oil futures continued to slip, pressured by the strengthening dollar and concerns about a supply glut.

U.S. August crude , set to expire later on Tuesday, was down about 0.4 percent at $49.96 a barrel, back under the $50 threshold after it tumbled below it for the first time since April on Monday.

Brent slipped 0.3 percent to $56.51.
- Reuters

Earlier Report:

TOKYO: Asian shares got off to a wobbly start on Tuesday, while gold prices steadied after plunging more than 4 percent to five-year lows in the previous session.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan opened flat, and was struggling to gain in early trade.

Japan's Nikkei share index rose 0.5 percent as markets reopened after a public holiday on Monday.

Spot gold edged up about 0.2 percent on the day to $1,099.05 an ounce, after what traders described as a mini flash crash in the previous session.

The rout caused concern on Wall Street and kept U.S. share gains in check, though all three major indexes logged modest rises and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> still managed to mark its third straight record close. The S&P 500 <.SPX> ended less than 3 points from its record close on May 21.

"The decline in gold prices is consistent with the drop in the VIX and the rise in equities that took the Nasdaq to a record high," Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management said in a note to clients.

"It signals to FX traders that there is a sense of calm in the markets," she said.

Part of that calm is due to a more stable situation in Greece, where banks reopened as Athens began the process of paying off billions of euros owed to international creditors after it agreed to a new reform plan in exchange for another bailout to keep it in the euro zone.

The dollar jumped to its highest since April 23 against a basket of major currencies <.DXY> on Monday, before paring gains and ending flat.

The euro edged up about 0.1 percent on the day to $1.0833 , after dipping to its lowest since mid-April overnight.

The dollar was steady against the yen at 124.295 after scaling a 4-1/2-week peak of 124.390 yen on Monday.

Underpinning the greenback, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard told Fox Business Network that there was a better than 50 percent chance that the U.S. central bank will raise interest rates in September.

In other commodities trading, crude oil futures continued to slip, pressured by the strengthening dollar and concerns about a supply glut.

U.S. August crude , set to expire later on Tuesday, was down about 0.2 percent in early trade at $50.07 a barrel. On Monday, it tumbled below $50 for the first time since April.- Reuters