Investing.com - Asian shares mostly rose on Monday as Japan posted growth in the fourth quarter at a lower pace that expected, but managed to exit recession.
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.6 percent after Japan’s gross domestic product fourth quarter economic growth clocked in at a gain of 0.6%, well below the quarter-on-quarter gain of 0.9% expected and increased at an annualized 2.2%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 0.3%, while South Korea’s Kospi index added 0.3% and New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index fell 0.5%. Trading was subdued ahead of a U.S. public holiday on Monday.
In the coming week, investors will be focusing on Wednesday’s minutes of the latest Federal Reserve meeting for further indications on when the Fed may start to hike interest rates.
Wednesday’s policy announcement by the Bank of Japan and Friday’s data on euro zone private sector activity will also be closely watched.
Last week, U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Oil & Gas, Basic Materials and Technology sectors led shares higher.
At the close in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.26%, while the S&P 500 index gained 0.41%, and the NASDAQ Composite index added 0.75%.