Asian markets ended mostly higher on Monday, encouraged by a stronger finish in US and European markets on Friday. Japanese shares ended higher as investors bought up recently battered financial stocks and the Japanese yen continued to ease from its strongest levels against the US dollar in more than a year. Hopes for more monetary stimulus from Japan boosted investors' appetite for emerging market equities, shrugging off data that showed Japan's economy contracted more than expected in the final quarter of 2015. The Shanghai Composite, however, lost ground after re-opening post the week-long Lunar New Year holiday. This was despite the positive comments on the yuan made by Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC).
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 2,746.20 | -17.30 | -0.63 |
| Hang Seng | 18,918.14 | 598.56 | 3.27 |
| Jakarta Composite | 4,740.73 | 26.33 | 0.56 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,649.96 | 6.22 | 0.38 |
| Nikkei 225 | 16,022.58 | 1,069.97 | 7.16 |
| Straits Times | 2,607.90 | 67.95 | 2.68 |
| KOSPI Composite | 1,862.20 | 26.92 | 1.47 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 8,066.51 | 3.51 | 0.04 |