Asian Shares Mixed ahead of Busy Week of Key Economic Release

Stocks in Asia are trading mixed on Monday as investors await a week packed with important economic reports that will provide light on where interest rates are headed.

As of 9.34 a.m. Bangkok time, the Nikkei 225 had risen by 0.24%, while the broader markets were all in the red.

The first monetary policy meeting under new BOJ chief Kazuo Ueda will be held later this week, and investors will be paying close attention.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.06%, while South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.70%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index lost 0.6%, while the Shanghai Composite in mainland China was 0.21% lower.

Last week, all three main U.S. indices posted gains on Friday, but finished the week in the red. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell the most, by 0.42%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 0.23%, ending its four-week winning run, and the S&P 500 dipped by 0.1%.