New York - Major US stock indices fell for a second straight day Tuesday as concerns over the economic impact of a growing swine- flu outbreak and the state of US banks overshadowed a massive jump in consumer confidence.

There were 64 confirmed cases of swine flu in five US states, and alerts have been raised across the globe. In Mexico, where the outbreak originated, more than 150 people have died of an influenza- type illness.

Delta Air Lines Inc led a drop in travel shares on Wall Street.

Seoul - Share

Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks ended Tuesday morning trading slightly higher on pharmaceutical issues as the swine influenza spreads to ever more countries.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average inched up 38.51 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 8,764.85.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also up 0.99 points, or 0.12 per cent, at 834.09.

Stocks opened lower Tuesday after overnight retreats in the US market and a stronger yen.

The BSE-benchmark-Sensex gained for the third day in a row after an extremely volatile session as investors took calculative steps ahead of F&O expiry on 29th April 2009.

In the morning, the domestic market opened on negative note tracking weak cues from the Asian markets. But during mid-session, the market gathered decent momentum to touch day's high on significant buying across the board.

However, despite sharp come back, market was not able to hold the same impulse and slipped again, on profit booking.

The benchmark indices closed on a flat note after an extremely volatile and choppy session ahead of expiry. Stocks around the world declined as the Swine Flu outbreak extended beyond Mexico and the U. S., prompting concern of a pandemic and forcing Asian countries to screen travelers.

Technical analyst Hunny Tarika, Fairwealth Securities has maintained ‘Buy’ rating on ABB Ltd stock to achieve a target of Rs 540.

According to Tarika, interested investors can buy the stock around Rs 463 with a stop loss of Rs 429.