AKIPRESS.COM - Asian shares cautiously nudged into positive territory on Tuesday after downbeat economic data pressured Wall Street ahead of a key U.S. jobs report that could provide important clues to the timing of the Federal Reserve's interest rate increase, Reuters reports.

Crude oil prices firmed after plunging overnight, with U.S. crude CLc1 adding about 0.7 percent to $45.49 a barrel. Brent LCOc1 gained 0.4 percent to $49.70 after skidding 5 percent to six-month lows.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was slightly higher, while Japan's Nikkei stock index .N225 slipped 0.2 percent, after breaking a three-day winning streak in the previous session.

China stocks were higher, with the Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC and the CSI300 index .CSI300 both up more than 1 percent. Beijing has taken a raft of steps to support Chinese share markets after they lost more than 30 percent of their value since peaking in June.

U.S. equities markets stumbled overnight, after manufacturing data from China and the U.S. both disappointed.

The Institute for Supply Management's index of national factory activity slipped to 52.7 in July, falling short of expectations that it would match last month's reading of 53.5.

The weak reading, and fears of disinflation stemming from the rout in oil prices, led investors to pare bets that the Fed's long-awaited interest rate hike will come as early as September.

The dollar was steady on the day against its Japanese counterpart at 127.00 yen JPY=, while the euro was slightly lower at $1.0940 EUR=.

Commodity currencies stabilized after facing pressure from crude oil's tumble.

Spot gold XAU= was down about 0.2 percent at 1,084 per ounce, dropping for a third session in four with a 5-1/2-year low in sight, as expectations that the Fed is set to raise interest rates this year undermined the precious metal.