Investing.com - Asian stock markets were mixed on Tuesday as Toyota shares lost ground after news that the corporation faces a criminal investigation and shares in property firms in Hong Kong advanced.
Shortly before the start of the European trading session, South Korea's Kospi Composite Index rose 0.11%; Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index climbed 0.02%; Japan's Nikkei 225 Index slid 0.47%; and the Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.69%.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng shook off early losses to climb 1.21%, extending a jump the previous day with the aid of property companies such as Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd.
Earlier Tuesday, Toyota shares fell 0.5% after it emerged that the corporation faces a probe into its handling of safety problems. Investors were also keen to see President Akio Toyoda's testimony to Congress in the wake of massive vehicle recalls in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. markets was rosy: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a rise of 0.43%, S&P 500 futures pointed to an increase of 0.51% and Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a rise of 0.66%.