Asian markets losses continue as china sets sour tone

Asian markets traded broadly lower in morning action on Tuesday, with Chinese markets opening with further sharp losses ahead of August trade data.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.19% lower to 17,827.28 points within the first hour of trade, while Tokyo's broader Topix gauge was flat at 1,446.07 points.

Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index advanced 0.32% to 20,649.09 points at the opening bell, but mainland China's benchmark Shanghai Composite tumbled 1.03% to 3,048.58 points at the same time.

Korea's benchmark Kospi index was little down at 1,882.04 points this morning in Seoul.

The benchmark Australian S&P/ASX 200 index rallied 0.95% to 5,078.20 points in Sydney, with a string of oil and gas stocks leading the pack after oil futures started Tuesday on a strong note.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 0.67% to 5,610.07 points this afternoon in Wellington.

Data from Tokyo on Tuesday showed Japan's current account surplus expanded from ¥558.6 billion in June to ¥1.81 billion in July, which was stronger than the forecast surplus of ¥1.75 trillion.

China's merchandise trade surplus grew to its largest since May last month, but with a sharp decline in exports masked by an even sharper fall in imports, the situation in China is going from bad to worse. China's trade surplus expanded from $43.03 billion in July to $60.24 billion in August, according to new data released on Tuesday, beating the market forecast of a $49.35 billion surplus last month.