Hong Kong (AFP) - Asian stocks were mixed on Monday, with investors mostly treading water ahead of key data releases this week, including earnings results from US tech behemoths.
Europe opened lower and US equities futures were also down following a muted finish on Wall Street last week, with a wait-and-see mood taking hold of markets as they awaited results from the likes of Amazon, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook owner Meta.
"Mega tech earnings will be important this week for the rally in risk sentiment since the beginning of the year," Tapas Strickland of National Australia Bank said.
Traders will also be looking for clues about the US Federal Reserve's next steps on interest rates.
Though swaps markets indicate that some traders think a peak and subsequent cuts are just around the corner, upcoming US data on growth, inflation and wages could see that forecast change, analysts say.
Meanwhile, moves by leveraged investors suggest they foresee more rate hikes to come.
"The thought that the Fed is going to aggressively cut into year end is misleading," Kim Strand, head of fundamental research and ESG integration for Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, told Bloomberg Television.
"We believe what the Fed is saying: that it will hike and stay there until you see these areas of inflation coming down."
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and Seoul were all down on Monday, while Singapore was flat.
London, Frankfurt and Paris also dropped in early Monday trade.
Mumbai, Tokyo, Wellington, Taipei and Manila all rose.
Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a note that China's rebound following the end of its growth-sapping zero-Covid policies was likely to cool, relying now on higher income growth and improved consumer sentiment.
"So the easy part is done; now, the consumer will need to do the bulk of the heavy lifting," he said.
Also this week, investors will be watching important economic data from South Korea, Australia and the eurozone, as well as Bank of Japan chief Kazuo Ueda's approach as he chairs his first key policy meeting.
Responding to questions in parliament on Monday, Ueda suggested the bank would stay the course in terms of monetary stimulus, adding that inflation was expected to cool below two percent in the second half of the fiscal year ending next March.
Credit Suisse, meanwhile, revealed on Monday that more than $68 billion was withdrawn in the first three months of 2023, in what are likely its final quarterly results before it is swallowed by rival UBS.
At the same time, the bank saw its net profit swell to $13.9 billion, up from a significant loss a year earlier, after holders of high-risk Credit Suisse debt were wiped out in the emergency takeover deal.
Key figures around 0830 GMT
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 28,593.52 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.6 percent at 19,959.94 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,275.41 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,899.43
Euro/dollar: FLAT at $1.0993 from $1.0993 on Friday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2434 from $1.2446
Dollar/yen: UP at 134.37 yen from 134.09 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 88.39 pence from 88.30 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $77.57 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $81.31 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 33,808.96 (close)
