Asian equity indices are exhibiting mixed trade in early deals on Monday, after initially moving higher, taking the lead from the US, where the S&P 500 on Friday closed at a record high. On the regional front, the Japanese stock market traded higher, lifted by a stronger dollar and Friday's gains on Wall Street. Chinese Shanghai Composite stocks rose due to the speculation that policy makers will take further steps to bolster economic growth. Among other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Shanghai, Singapore and Taiwan are trading in positive territory with modest gains, while Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and South Korea are trading weak.
Shanghai Composite increased by 7.37 points or 0.36% to 2,041.94, Nikkei 225 soared 78.12 points or 0.54% to 14,540.29, Straits Times gained by 4.94 points or 0.15% to 3,282.96 and Taiwan Weighted was up by 37.96 points or 0.42% to 9,046.18.
On the flips side, Hang Seng slipped 15.47 points or 0.07% to 22,950.39, Jakarta Composite decreased by 8.17 points or 0.16% to 4,964.88, KLSE Composite crumbled 4.93 points or 0.26% to 1,864.29 and Seoul Composite was down by 5.57 points or 0.28% to 2,011.60.