Asia-Pacific stocks set for mixed start; China’s June industrial profits data ahead

SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific looked set for a mixed start on Tuesday after the major indexes on Wall Street notched record closing highs once again.

Futures pointed to a higher open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 27,975 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 27,950. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 27,833.29.

Australian stocks looked poised to slip, with the SPI futures contract at 7,328.0, against the S&P/ASX 200’s last close at 7,394.30.

Investors will monitor stocks in Hong Kong after their Monday tumble amid regulatory fears in China’s technology and private education sectors.

Geopolitical concerns may also weigh on investor sentiment in the region, after a high-level meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials ended with criticism on both sides.

Looking ahead, China’s industrial profits data for June is set to be out at 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN on Tuesday.

Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 gained 0.24% to 4,422.30 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 82.76 points higher to 35,144.31. The Nasdaq Composite was fractionally higher at 14,840.71. The gains left all three major indexes stateside closing at new record highs.

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 92.649 after a recent fall from above 92.8.

The Japanese yen traded at 110.36 per dollar, stronger than levels around 110.5 seen against the greenback yesterday. The Australian dollar was at $0.7384, above levels below $0.736 seen yesterday.

Here’s a look at what’s on tap:

• China: Industrial profits for June at 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN