Asia-Pacific markets likely to open lower despite Dow hitting record; Chinese industrial earnings in focus – NBC 6 South Florida

• Traders in Asia will also be looking at China’s year-to-date industrial earnings in July.
• Oil prices continued to rise after Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes over the weekend. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 3.5 percent to $77.42 a barrel and Brent crude rose 3.05 percent to $81.43 a barrel, the highest price in about two weeks.

Markets in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to open mixed on Tuesday, even though the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit new highs on Wall Street.

The blue-chip index closed with an increase of 65.44 points or 0.16 percent at 41,240.52.

Traders in Asia will also be paying attention to China’s year-to-date industrial earnings in July.

Oil prices continued to rise late Monday after Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes over the weekend. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 3.5 percent to $77.42 a barrel and Brent crude rose 3.05 percent to $81.43 a barrel, the highest price in about two weeks.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 futures pointed to a weaker market open, with the Chicago futures contract at 37,945 and its Osaka counterpart at 37,930, compared to the previous close of 38,110.22.

Futures for Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 settled at 8,041, slightly lower than the previous close of 8,084.5. The Australian index was close to breaking its all-time high of 8,114.7 on Monday.

Hong Kong Hang Seng Index futures were at 17,694, below the HSI’s last closing price of 17,798.73.

Despite overnight gains in the Dow Jones in the US, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite recorded declines of 0.32 percent and 0.85 percent, respectively.

—CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han and Sarah Min contributed to this report.