NEW YORK, April 29, (AP): Asian shares were mostly higher on Tuesday after US stocks drifted to a mixed, quiet finish ahead of a busy week of corporate earnings and economic data that could bring more bouts of volatility. US futures edged higher and oil prices fell. Tokyo’s markets were closed for a holiday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was nearly unchanged at 21,969.67, while the Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1% lower, to 3,285.68. In South Korea, the Kospi jumped 0.7% to 2,565.42. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 also rose 0.9%, to 8,070.60.

Taiwan's Taiex gained 1%, while the Sensex in India edged less than 0.1% higher. A recent relative lull in trading has brought a respite from the sharp swings that have rocked markets for weeks, as hopes rose and fell that US President Donald Trump may back down on his trade war. The Trump administration appears to have made little headway in finding a way forward with Beijing, with both sides insisting the other needs to make the first move.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking on CNBC, said he believed China wants a "de-escalation” in the trade war. "I do have an escalation letter in my back pocke, and we're very anxious not to have to use itt.” "Maybe they'll call me one day,” Bessent told Fox news. Trump has ordered increases in tariffs on Chinese exports that combined add up to 145%.

China has struck back with import duties on U.S. goods of up to 125%, though it has exempted some items. Many investors believe Trump’s tariffs could cause a recession if left unaltered. Coming into Monday, the S&P 500 had roughly halved its drop that had taken it nearly 20% below its record set earlier this year. On Monday, the S&P 500 inched up by 0.1%, to 5,528.75, extending its winning streak to a fifth day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% to 40,227.59, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.1% to 17,366.13. Mixed trading for some influential tech stocks ahead of their earnings reports this week pulled the S&P 500 back and forth between modest gains and losses for much of Monday. Amazon fell 0.7%, Microsoft dipped 0.2%, Meta Platforms added 0.4% and Apple rose 0.4%. Outside of Big Tech, executives from Caterpillar, Exxon Mobil and McDonald’s may also offer clues this week about how they’re seeing economic conditions play out.