Global stocks mixed in muted trading after Wall Street fall, speculation on China stimulus

Global stocks were mixed in muted trading Tuesday amid a lack of fresh news to buoy market sentiment following an overnight slide on Wall Street.

KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 was little changed in early trading, inching down 0.03 percent to 5,252.50. Germany's DAX fell 0.2 percent to 12,317.11, while Britain's FTSE 100 inched up 0.1 percent to 7,074.07. U.S. shares were also set for little change, with Dow futures steady at 17,910. S&P 500 futures were up 0.3 percent to 2,092.10.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was barely unchanged, inching up 0.02 percent to finish at 19,908.68. Investors were looking to sell after the index reached the psychologically key 20,000 mark momentarily last week. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.2 percent to 5,946.60. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.6 percent to 2,111.72, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.5 percent to 27,595.32.

CHINA FOCUS: Investors have their eyes on economic growth data on China, set to be released later in the week. Monday's trade data, showing a contraction by a bigger margin than expected, added to speculation of more stimulus measures.

ANALYST TAKE: "Asian markets haven't managed to match the exceptional performance seen yesterday, which was on the back of China's disappointing trade balance reading. Today seems to be a day of consolidation ahead of a data dump from China tomorrow," said Stan Shamu, market strategist at IG in Melbourne, Australia.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 45 cents to $52.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, a benchmark for many oils imported by U.S. refineries, gained 33 cents to $59.37 a barrel.

CURRENCIES: The dollar slipped to 119.79 yen from 120.32 yen. The euro fell to $1.0551 from $1.0597.