The major Asian stock markets fell slightly on Tuesday.

This represented a slight decline from the previous day's gains.

Deutsche Bank's market strategists reported quiet trading. Market participants were awaiting progress in the talks on the Ukraine war. The Japanese benchmark index, the Nikkei 225 XC0009692440JP9010C00002, suffered somewhat from the rise in bond yields after reaching record levels the previous day. The Nikkei lost 0.38 percent to 43,546.29 points.

Other factors could also put a strain on the Japanese market. "Higher US tariffs and potentially weakening US demand could weigh on Japanese exporters' profits and, as a result, their bonus payments for fiscal year 2025," emphasized investment strategist Ulrich Stephan of Deutsche Bank. This would dampen the propensity to consume among many Japanese households in the coming quarters.

"Furthermore, after the recent price increases, the Topix is trading at a valuation premium of 12 percent compared to its ten-year average," Stephan said. "Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised to see a consolidation phase in the coming months."

Meanwhile, the struggling chip company Intel US4581401001 is gaining a new major shareholder from Japan. Technology conglomerate Softbank JP3436100006 is buying Intel shares worth two billion US dollars, the companies announced. The purchase price of $23 per share is slightly below Monday's closing price. Softbank shares fell by about four percent.

Developments on the Chinese stock markets were subdued. The CSI-300 index (CNM0000001Y0), which tracks the most important stocks on the Chinese mainland stock exchanges, fell 0.33 percent to 4,225.36 points. The Hang Seng Index (HK0000004322) for the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong fell 0.31 percent to 25,098.47 points.

The Australian leading index S&P/ASX 200 XC0006013624 closed 0.7 percent lower at 8,896.20 points.