Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed after Wall Street drifts ahead of US Election Day

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia early Tuesday after U.S. stock indexes drifted lower a day ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

This week will bring various potential flashpoints, among them Election Day in the United States. But the results may not be known for some time as officials count all the votes, and that could bring sharp swings since markets hate uncertainty.

U.S. futures were virtually unchanged early Tuesday.

Adding to the potential for volatility, the Federal Reserve will also be meeting on interest rates later this week. The widespread expectation is for it to cut its main interest rate for a second straight time.

Investors also hope the Chinese government may announce stimulus for the world’s second-largest economy.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 1.3% to 38,552.67, reopening after a holiday on Monday.

South Korea's Kospi fell 0.7% to 2,569.75, while the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia dropped 0.6% to 8,117.30.

The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress is meeting this week, and analysts say the government may endorse major spending initiatives to boost economic growth amid troubles for the country’s real-estate industry.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that the lawmakers had reviewed legislation to raise ceilings on local government debt to replace existing hidden debts, part of a process to arrange debt swaps to help resolve the financial woes brought on by the pandemic and by a collapse in the property market in recent years.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.1% at 20,597.30 and the Shanghai Composite index picked up 0.4% to 3,323.26.

On Monday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3% to 5,712.69, remaining near its record set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% to 41,794.60, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3% to 18,179.98.

Intel fell 2.9%, and chemical producer Dow sank 2.1% in their first trading since getting notified they’ll no longer be included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway dropped 2.2% and was one of the heaviest weights on the market after reporting a drop in operating profit for the latest quarter.

But the majority of stocks within the S&P 500 rose, including a 2.8% gain for Fox after it reported a stronger profit than expected.

The hope that’s propelled U.S. stock indexes to records recently is that the U.S. economy can remain resilient and avoid a long-feared recession, in part because of the coming cuts to rates expected from the Fed.

The broad U.S. stock market has historically risen regardless of which party wins the White House. And in 2020, U.S. stocks climbed immediately after Election Day and kept going even after former President Donald Trump refused to concede and challenged the results, creating plenty of uncertainty. A large part of that rally was due to excitement about the potential for a vaccine for COVID-19, which had just shut down the global economy.

A Trump victory would be less of a surprise to markets this time around than in 2016, when Treasury yields soared on expectations for tax cuts that could further inflate the nation’s debt or fuel a stronger U.S economy. Treasury yields have already climbed in recent weeks, in part due to rising expectations among some for a Trump win.

On Monday, Treasury yields gave back a chunk of those gains. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.29% from 4.38% late Friday.

Another investment that’s become a barometer in the market for Trump’s perceived chances of victory swung sharply through the day. After veering between losses and gains through the morning, Trump Media & Technology Group ended up rising 12.4%.

In the oil market early Tuesday, the price for a barrel of U.S. crude fell 7 cents to $71.40. On Monday, it rose 2.8% after Saudi Arabia and other oil producers said they would delay plans to increase the amount of crude they produced.

Brent crude, the international standard, added 12 cents to $75.20. It rose 2.7% a barrel on Monday. The price of Brent is still down for the year so far, in part because of worries about how much demand will come from China given its economic challenges.

In currency dealings, the dollar rose to 152.33 Japanese yen from 152.10 yen. The euro fell to $1.0876 from $1.0880.

AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.

Trader Jonathan Mueller works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 shows a broadcast talking about Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A currency trader stands near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A currency trader walks by the screen showing the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A currency trader walks by the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed a decision by a lower court that required the Secretary of State’s office to release a list of tens of thousands of voters who were mistakenly classified as having access to Arizona’s full ballot because of a coding glitch.

The court rejected an appeal by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ office that sought to reverse the lower court’s order or at least suspend it. A group had sued in an effort to verify whether those on the list are in fact eligible to cast full ballots.

Fontes’ office had initially denied a public records request for the list of voters that was filed by America First Legal, a group run by Stephen Miller, a onetime adviser to former President Donald Trump. Fontes’ office cited concerns over the accuracy of the list and the safety of the voters included.

Fontes expressed his disappointment with the latest ruling during a news conference and vowed that officials will be watching for any instances of voter intimidation. While it was his intention to ensure that voter information would remain protected, he said his office has complied with the court order and has turned over the list to the plaintiffs.

The lower court’s ruling permitted the plaintiff to distribute the list to county recorders, the state Senate president, the House Speaker, and members of both chambers’ elections committees, which the plaintiff said it intended to share. Senate President Warren Petersen posted on the social platform X that he received the list.

Pointing to a previous ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court, Fontes said “every single one of these voters is eligible to vote and eligible to vote in every single election.”

Arizona is unique among states in that it requires voters to prove their citizenship to participate in local and state races. Those who haven’t but have sworn to it under the penalty of perjury are allowed to participate only in federal elections.

The misclassification of voters from federal-only to full-ballot voters was blamed on a glitch in state databases involving drivers’ licenses and the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division.

Several tight races in the battleground state are expected to be decided by razor-thin margins. While the batch of about 218,000 potentially affected voters won’t impact the outcome of federal contests, they could influence tight state and local races.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled last week that the court received no credible evidence showing the information would be misused or encourage violence or harassment against the voters whose citizenship hasn’t been verified.

Still, Fontes reiterated his concerns Monday and used the news conference to take a swipe at the Republican-controlled Legislature. He said he has spent hours with his lawyers trying to unravel “some of these crazy rules that have been shoved down our throats.”

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that anybody is confused about this,” Fontes said, when asked about the conflicting guidance that voters are getting in some counties.

Appeals court says Arizona should release list of voters with unverified citizenship

Appeals court says Arizona should release list of voters with unverified citizenship

FILE - Adrian Fontes, Arizona Secretary of State, speaks during a news conference after voting on the first day of early in-person voting for the general election at Surprise City Hall, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)