Asian shares were mostly higher on Monday, lifted by robust trade data from Japan that suggest a sustained recovery in demand in China and other major markets.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.6 per cent to 22,914.85, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.6 per cent to 28,033.26. South Korea’s Kospi was flat at 2,482.77.
The S&P ASX 200 in Australia advanced 0.7 per cent to 6,038.90. The Shanghai Composite index fell 0.3 per cent to 3,256.46. Shares in Southeast Asia were mixed, reports AP.
Wall Street capped last week with broad gains with the Dow Jones industrial average, Standard &Poor’s 500 index and Nasdaq closing at record highs.
The S&P 500 rose 0.9 per cent to 2,675.81 and the Dow gained 0.6 per cent to 24,651.74. The Nasdaq added 1.2 per cent to 6,936.58.
Benchmark US crude added 12 cents to $57.42 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose 26 cents to settle at $57.30 a barrel on Friday.
Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 17 cents to $63.40. It fell 8 cents to close at $63.23 per barrel in London.
The US dollar strengthened to 112.66 Japanese yen from 112.60 late Friday. The euro also gained, to $1.1762 from $1.1747.
