After weeks of stock market turmoil and strong movements, trading in Asia appears calmer, with weaker movements on Tuesday morning. Shenzhen in China is up 0.3 percent at lunchtime, and Shanghai is climbing 0.4 percent.
In Tokyo, Japan, indices are hovering around zero. The Nikkei 225 was down 0.2 percent at lunchtime, and the broader Topix fell 0.1 percent.
In Seoul, South Korea, the Kospi is up 0.4 percent at midday. Shares in the country's electronics giant Samsung were boosted by around 5 percent shortly after opening following a new preliminary forecast of record quarterly profits. By lunchtime, however, the stock had returned to a more modest 0.7 percent gain.
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong is closed for the weekend.
