Asian stocks rose modestly on Tuesday, gaining a firmer footing after a week of heavy losses, although increasing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the West have fanned geopolitical concerns and capped gains.

Asian shares slipped on Monday as worries over Sino-U.S. trade disputes, a possible slowdown in the Chinese economy and higher U.S. borrowing costs tempered optimism despite a rebound in global equities late last week.

Asian shares appeared tentative on Friday, holding steady after a nine-day losing streak, but sentiment was frail after Wall Street shares crumbled and expectations of market volatility shot up to an eight-month high.

Asian share markets sank in a sea of red on Thursday after Wall Street suffered its worst drubbing in eight months, a conflagration of wealth that could threaten business confidence and investment across the globe.

Asian shares barely moved on Wednesday after world stocks hit eight-week lows the previous day on worries about global economic growth, although the British pound stayed firm on hopes for a Brexit deal. Benchmark U.S.

Asian shares hit 17-month lows on Tuesday as China allowed its currency to slip past a psychological bulwark amid sharp losses in domestic share markets, a shift that pressured other emerging currencies to depreciate to stay competitive.

The dollar edged higher on Monday as China followed an easing in domestic policy by allowing its yuan to fall, though the drop was not as sharp as some had feared. Moves were limited by a lack of liquidity with Japan on holiday and the U.S. bond market on a break.

The dollar inched up on Friday and remained near one-and-a-half-month highs ahead of the much anticipated U.S. job data due later in the day.

European shares fell in early trade on Thursday, led lower by defensive stocks, while banks tracked gains by their U.S. peers after strong data lifted Treasury yields to their highest since mid-2011.

Asian shares reversed early losses while the euro rebounded from six-week lows on reports Italy will cut its budget deficit at a faster pace than expected, raising hopes Rome could stave off a problematic debt blow-out.