U.S. stocks declined on Monday trading between small losses and gains retreating from last week's gains. The S&P 500 closed lower -0.17% with a final quote of 2,104.42 points. The DOW JONES index moderately declined and closed at 18,116.04 points, -0.06%.

Chinese stocks were mixed on Tuesday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng is trading lower -0.37% at 24,403.92 points. China's Shanghai Composite closed at 3,691.95 points closing +0.11% - up for a ninth consecutive day and setting a new 3-year high at 3,715.87 points. The weaker-than-expected PMI data at 11-month lows indicating a contraction fuelled speculations on further economic stimulus.

The Nikkei declined on soft Chinese and Japanese PMI and a lower Wall Street but losses were limited and the index remains close to its newly set 15-year high reached on Monday. Data on Japanese the Japanese Production PMI came in at 50.4 for March, a decrease from a previous reading of 51.6 and below an expected increase to 52.1. The preliminary Chinese HSBC Manufacturing PMI for March came in at 49.2, an 11-month low, as new orders declined. The index closed -0.21% with a final quote of 19,713.45.