The full moon, otherwise known as a strawberry supermoon, is seen over the Skyline of the CBD in Sydney, Australia June 15, 2022.
This is CNBC's live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.
Hong Kong stocks led Asia-Pacific markets lower on Tuesday, in their return from a National Day holiday on Monday.
The city's benchmark Hang Seng index closed 2.69% lower at 17,331.22, recovering slightly from earlier in the session when it was down more than 3%.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 traded down 1.28% to close at 6,943.4 after the central bank held rates at 4.10%, as expected by a Reuters poll.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 1.64% to close 31,237.94.
South Korean and Chinese markets are closed for holidays.
Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes traded mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 74.15 points, or 0.22%, to 33,433.35. The S&P 500 inched higher by 0.01% to close at 4,288.39. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.67% to close at 13,307.77
Money Report
— CNBC's Hakyung Kim and Alex Harring contributed to this report.
Australia's central bank keeps rates unchanged, hints at tightening
The Reserve Bank of Australia kept rates steady at 4.1% after its meeting, in line with Reuters' expectations.
"Inflation in Australia has passed its peak but is still too high and will remain so for some time yet," the central bank's governor, Michele Bullock, said in a statement.
She noted that while goods inflation has eased further, prices of many services are still continuing to climb, alongside a jump in fuel prices.
Australia's inflation in August ticked up up 5.2% year on year, according to official data.
"Returning inflation to target within a reasonable timeframe remains the Board's priority," the statement further read.
"Some further tightening of monetary policy may be required to ensure that inflation returns to target in a reasonable timeframe," Bullock said.
—Lee Ying Shan
Hang Seng dives 3%, dragged by real estate and energy stocks
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 3% in early trading, leading wider losses in Asia, dragged by the real estate and energy sectors.
Shares of Hong Kong-listed property stocks were in the red. Country Garden Holdings plunged 7.18%, while Longfor Group Holdings lost 4.82%. New World Development shed 6.69%, and Henderson Land Development traded 6.15% lower.
Energy stocks also posted losses, with PetroChina losing 5.93% and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp dipping 5.14%.
The index last traded down 2.77% after coming back on from a holiday on Monday.
—Lee Ying Shan
Evergrande shares soar after trading resumes in Hong Kong
Shares of embattled Chinese property giant Evergrande soared after it resumed trading in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
The stock rose 22% in early trade, after briefly touching 46 Hong Kong cents shortly after the open. Shares have been volatile since resuming trade in late August following a 17-month suspension. Evergrande's market valuation has been hovering around 5 billion Hong Kong dollars ($639.8 million), a fraction of its value prior to the developer's default.
Last week, the Chinese property firm announced that its director and executive chairman is under scrutiny over suspected crimes.
Evergrande's EV unit also halted trading Tuesday, citing a pending announcement.
—Lee Ying Shan
RBA expected to maintain hawkish stance at upcoming meeting, says ANZ
The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to keep rates unchanged in the upcoming policy decision meeting, ANZ forecasts.
"We still expect a really hawkish pause from the reserve bank of Australia. We're not expecting them to raise rates in the next couple of months," said Adelaide Timbrell, senior economist at ANZ.
It will be the central bank's first meeting under new governor Michele Bullock. According to a Reuters poll, the central bank is expected to hold rates at 4.10%.
"We'll see an extended pause from the reserve bank right up until November next year," Timbrell forecasts, estimating that the bank will likely only start cutting rates in the fourth quarter of next year.
However, "discouraging" inflation results could mean added risks of further action, the senior economist cautioned.
Australia's inflation in August ticked up 5.2% year on year, according to official statistics.
"But every time we get some of these discouraging inflation results... we do see the risk that they'll need to take further action at some point," she said.
—Lee Ying Shan
CNBC Pro: Goldman Sachs says this global delivery platform’s shares are set to soar over 100%
Shares in this European delivery company are set to double over the next 12 months, according to analysts from Goldman Sachs.
The U.S. investment bank describes the company as a "market leader" of sorts and expects it to benefit from a "more competitive landscape."
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Amala Balakrishner
CNBC Pro: Outperforming portfolio manager names 5 discounted global stocks to buy right now
Many stocks have become "a bit cheaper" and investors could get good returns, according to Ted Alexander, chief investment officer of BML Funds.
Alexander manages the BML Global Fund, which was launched only in September. The fund aims to invest in strong businesses that are undervalued by the market, without a bias toward growth or value stocks.
He named five discounted stocks to consider right now, including one he calls a "long-term winner."
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Weizhen Tan
CNBC Pro: A 'phenomenal' stock: Irrationality has made this wealth manager look super cheap, investor says
Irrational behavior due to concerns over the stability of the U.S. banking system has made one wealth manager's stock a cheap investment opportunity, according to value investor Daniel O'Keefe.
O'Keefe, who manages the Artisan Global Value Fund, believes this fear is unfounded and stems from a misunderstanding of the business.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Ganesh Rao
World Bank says sustained growth, but slowing momentum in the Asia Pacific region
The World Bank forecasts growth in in the developing East Asia and Pacific region to remain strong at 5% in 2023. However, its expects growth to ease in the second half of 2023 and fall to 4.5% in 2024, according to its regional update published on Sunday.
Regional growth in the Asia-Pacific region is estimated to come in higher than average growth projected for all other emerging market and developing economies. To be sure, the recent numbers are lower than were previously projected.
Growth in China in 2023 is projected to be 5.1%. Excluding China, regional growth is expected to come in at 4.6% .
— Hakyung Kim
Bitcoin rises to highest level since August
Crypto prices rallied on Monday, pushing bitcoin to its highest level more than six weeks.
Bitcoin rose more than 4.5% to $28,329, for its highest level since Aug. 17, when it traded as high as 29,108.3. Ether rose more than 3% to cross above $1,700.
Crypto-related stocks Coinbase, Marathon Digital, MicroStrategy and Riot all rose more than 5% in premarket trading.
— Hakyung Kim, Jesse Pound, Gina Francolla
Gold and silver drop to lowest price since March in early trading
December gold futures contracts fell to $1846.60 the ounce Monday, the lowest since March 10, 2023 (when it traded at $1830).
December silver contracts similarly dropped to $21.725 the ounce, their weakest since March 16 ($21.59).
Both the Gold Miners (GDX) and Silver Miners (SIL) ETFs are down almost 1% in early, premarket trading, led by Harmony Gold, Gold Fields and AngloGold, all down by 3% or more.
— Scott Schnipper, Gina Francolla
