Asian shares edge up as investors weigh trade war fears

Asian shares were mostly higher but stayed within a narrow range in subdued trading Tuesday as global investors continued to weigh their fears about a possible trade war between the US and China.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.2 per cent to 21,730.41 in morning trading. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.6 per cent to 5,843.00. South Korea's Kospi inched down 0.2 per cent to 2,439.13.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.8 per cent to 30,467.23, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.3 per cent to 3,148.86, reports AP.

The S&P 500 index gained 8.69 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 2,613.16. The S&P 500 fell 1.4 per cent last week, with large losses Monday and Friday and strong gains in between.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 46.34 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 23,979.10. The Nasdaq composite jumped 35.23 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 6,950.34.

Benchmark US crude rose 45 cents to $63.87 a barrel. It jumped $1.36, or 2.2 per cent, to $63.42 a barrel overnight in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 37 cents to $69.02 a barrel.

The dollar was little changed, inching down to 107.08 yen from 107.12 late Monday. The euro rose to $1.2314 from $1.2275.