Asian stock markets were mixed Tuesday ahead of updates on U.S. employment amid fears of a possible global recession, the AP reported. Shanghai and Hong Kong gained. Seoul and Sydney declined. Oil prices fell. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.2% to 3,094.12 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.6% to 19,906.65. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Seoul's Kospi shed 0.8% to 2,208.36 after South Korea's 2022 exports fell 9.5% from the previous year and the country recorded its biggest trade deficit ever. Sydney's S& P-ASX 200 lost 1.6% to 6,927.20. In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude lost 36 cents to $79.90 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.86 on Monday to $80.26. Brent crude, the price basis for international oil trading, shed 39 cents to $85.52 per barrel in London. The dollar declined to 130.17 yen from Monday's 130.80 yen. The euro edged down to $1.0669 from $1.0700.
