TOKYO — Asian shares largely fell on Monday, although Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index hit another record high.
The Nikkei 225 gained 0.4% to end at 39,233.71. Trading in Tokyo was closed on Friday for a holiday. The benchmark also rose to a record high on Thursday.
In currency trading, the dollar fell from 150.47 yen to 150.37 Japanese yen. The euro cost $1.0835, up from $1.0823.
The yen’s weakness is a factor attracting many foreign investors to Japanese stocks, says Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.
He said investors were selling their shares to secure gains from recent gains in Chinese markets, which have risen slightly after a months-long slump.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.5% to 16,641.68, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.9% to 2,977.02.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Australian S&The P/ASX 200 rose 0.1% to 7,652.80. South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.8% to 2,647.08.
On Friday, Wall Street ended the week at a record high, mainly thanks to a strong technology sector. But shares of some technology companies weakened or remained little changed, such as Nvidia.
The S&The P 500 index rose less than 0.1% to 5,088.80. That marks another record high for the benchmark index and the sixth winning week in the past seven.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 39,131.53. The Nasdaq fell 0.3% to 15,996.82.
Earnings remain the biggest focus this week, as a key indicator of the direction of the US and global economies. Among the U.S. companies reporting results are home improvement store Lowe’s, discount store Dollar Tree, computer maker HP and electronics store Best Buy.
There will also be more economic data on consumer confidence, inflation and the US economy. An update on the growth rate in the United States in the October-December quarter will follow on Wednesday.
The Federal Reserve has been trying to get inflation back to its 2% target. Earlier data on consumer and wholesale prices came in better than Wall Street expected. Traders now expect the Fed to cut rates in June instead of March.
In energy trading, U.S. benchmark crude lost 22 cents to $76.27 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 14 cents to $81.48 a barrel.