Asian stocks retreat ahead of US midterms, oil steadies

Asian stocks retreated ahead of the US midterm elections, as oil prices steadied following a recent dip. The MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan slipped 0.9%, with South Korean shares falling as much as 3.8%. The S&P 500 e-mini futures rose marginally, while Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. ING analysts noted that Tuesday would merely precede a more significant day, as the market awaited clues from the midterm elections and the US Treasury's quarterly refunding announcement.

The yield on the US 10-year Treasury bond increased by 2.1 basis points to 4.913%. Wall Street's stocks dipped slightly, with the S&P 500 falling 0.5% due to weak tech sector earnings and lower-than-expected services revenue growth. Apple shares declined further in after-hours trading after the company forecasted lower gross margins and services revenue growth in the crucial holiday quarter.

Polls suggest a high likelihood of Democrats controlling the Senate, but the race remains close. Prediction markets assign around a 75% probability of a Democratic sweep. Oil prices stabilized after a 7% drop on Monday, rebounding to $104.72 as investors monitored peace talks between the US and Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported that the US military had struck Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, following reports of a US drone attack.

Brent crude prices fell more than 7% on Monday, as hopes for US-Iran diplomacy eased geopolitical risk premiums. Australian shares rose 0.1%, with the Aussie dollar remaining stable at USD 0.70 ahead of the RBA's decision. Taiwanese shares declined 1.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index increased by 0.3%. The US dollar strengthened slightly against the Chinese yuan and edged up 0.1% on the US Dollar Index after the People's Bank of China raised the foreign exchange deposit reserve ratio to 6% from 4% starting November 15.

Cryptocurrencies experienced volatility after the Binance hack, with Bitcoin gaining 0.5% and Ethereum slightly declining.