Nikkei dips, market holds breath before Bernanke

Japan's Nikkei stock average edged down 0.5% on Tuesday, with exporters like Sony Corp slipping, as investors held back ahead of congressional testimony by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke this week.                                          

But gains by shipping companies such as Kawasaki Kisen on a brokerage upgrade helped curb losses enough for the benchmark to close above its 25-day moving average, currently at 10,300. In thin trade, the Nikkei shed 48.37 points to 10,352.10, while the broader Topix lost 0.3% to 907.37.