Asian stocks mixed in muted trading, echoing Wall St close

Asian shares are trading mixed, echoing Wall Street's mixed close last week

TOKYO -- Asian shares were mixed Monday, echoing Wall Street's mixed close last week. Japan's benchmark Nikkei added 0.2% in morning trading to 28,381.13. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.3% to 3,147.23, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 inched up less than 0.1% to 7,031.50. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.9% to 28,217.82, while the Shanghai Composite lost 0.4% to 3,473.43. Several central bank rate decisions are expected in the region this week, in New Zealand, South Korea and Indonesia. Although Japanese shares were higher, risks remain as the government prepares to extend a “state of emergency” to curb coronavirus infections in some areas, beyond the initial ending date of May 31, said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG in Singapore.