Asian stock markets rose Tuesday after Wall Street hit a new high as investors looked ahead to U.S. and European inflation data. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 2.4 percent to 4,384.39 and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.8 percent to 20,050.67. Seoul's Kospi advanced 0.5 percent to 2,124.45 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.2 percent to 27,652.16. Sydney's S&P ASX/200 shed 0.7 percent to 5,618.80 and India's Sensex was off 0.2 percent at 27,629.52. Bangkok gained while New Zealand and Jakarta declined. The eurozone is due to report April inflation on Tuesday, with the consensus forecast calling for no change in consumer prices. Upward pressure on consumer prices could be a sign of strengthening economic growth and demand. U.S. data due out Friday are expected to show prices contracted by 0.2 percent, adding to last month's 0.1 percent fall. Japan reports quarterly economic growth on Wednesday that might show its recovery picking up pace. Benchmark U.S. crude gained 6 cents to $59.49 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost 26 cents on Monday, declining for a third day to close at $59.43. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 15 cents to $66.12 after declining 54 cents on Monday to $66.27. The dollar was little changed at 119.95 yen from Monday's 119.96 yen. The euro declined to $1.1304 from $1.1320.
