SINGAPORE – Asia Pacific stocks were mixed in Monday morning trading as Japanese stocks rose regionally.
After the Thursday and Friday holidays, the Nikkei 225 returned to trading in Japan and rose 1.49% on Monday morning while the Topix index rose 1.46%.
Elsewhere the markets were mixed. South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.23%. In Australia, the S & P / ASX 200 rose 0.18%.
MSCI’s broadest index for Asia Pacific stocks outside of Japan was down 0.07%.
On the front line of economic data, Singapore’s industrial production numbers for June are released at 1:00 p.m. HK / SIN.
Covid in Asia
Investors have likely continued to watch the Covid situation in Asia as it weighs on sentiment.
In South Korea, the second-highest virus restrictions will apply to areas outside the capital from Tuesday, the local agency Yonhap reported. Elsewhere, Tokyo’s daily coronavirus count has surpassed 1,000 for six consecutive days, according to Kyodo News.
Indonesia also extended its Covid restrictions by a week on Sunday, according to Reuters. The country is among several Southeast Asian countries struggling with a resurgence of infections.
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On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Averaged closed above 35,000 for the first time, while the S&P 500 climbed 1.01% to 4,411.79 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.04% to 14,836.99. Friday’s upward movement pushed all three major indices in the United States to new closing highs.
Currencies and oil
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback versus a basket of its peers, hit 92.942 after a recent rebound from below 92.8.
The Japanese yen was trading at 110.50 per dollar, weaker than the below 110 levels seen against the greenback last week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $ 0.7351 above the below $ 0.732 level hit last week.
Oil prices were lower on the morning of Asian trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures falling 0.11% to $ 74.02 a barrel. US crude oil futures slipped 0.11% to $ 71.99 a barrel.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
- Singapore: Industrial production for June at 1:00 p.m. HK / SIN
