China's indexes turned lower amid profit-taking and receding hopes of additional monetary support from the People's Bank of China. The Hong Kong and Shenzhen exchanges are expected to operate normally as the two cities await the arrival of Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest since 2018.
Japan's indexes rebounded on Monday, tracking Friday's Wall Street gains and lifting indexes to new record highs. Japan's ruling LDP party kicks off campaigning for the leadership race.
US-China trade talks are likely to stall until the year's end after Friday's Trump-Xi call showed little progress. Investors shifted attention to the PBOC's rate decisions later this week.
The Bank of Japan held steady its short-term interest rates for the fifth consecutive meeting and announced steps to normalize monetary policy after a decade of unorthodox interventions and easing. Consumer price inflation eased for the fourth consecutive month in August.
Core machinery orders dropped 4.6% in July from the previous month, amid heightened volatility because of the constant changes in the U.S. trade policy.
The People's Bank of China adjusted its daily fixing rate for the yuan, and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority cut its short-term lending rate by 25 basis points, following the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate decisions.
China indexes advanced and reached new multi-year highs as investors searched for bargains and corporations completed capital raising from international investors.
India's benchmark indexes advanced following a sharp decline in trade deficit and a record low jobless rate in August. Weak consumer demand dragged down passenger vehicle sales by 9% in August.
Japan's indexes traded at new highs after investors returned from a three-day weekend. The Bank of Japan is widely anticipated to hold rates steady after a policy meeting on Friday.
China investors held out for the market rally to continue amid steady inflows from institutional and retail investors. Hesai Group, the largest maker of lidar sensors, completed its secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The persistent weakness in residential real estate and jobs markets and receding export growth negatively impacted retail sales growth and fixed-asset investments.
