Asian shares and US futures decline, while oil prices press higher - MyNorthwest.com

Asian stocks and U.S. futures fell Tuesday after renewed fighting in the Middle East pushed oil prices higher. A wave of Houthi attacks on oil facilities and utilities in southern Saudi Arabia escalated renewed conflict between a key U.S. ally and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 slid 1.7% to 65,269.33, with exporters weighed by a stronger yen; Toyota lost 4.1% and Panasonic fell 5.8%. The dollar slipped to 153.73 yen. Markets were also digesting Japan’s upward revision to April-June growth at 1.4%. Elsewhere, South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.6%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.3%, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1%. Investors are watching U.S. inflation data this week, including the producer price index Thursday and CPI Friday.