Major stock indices in the Asia-Pacific region traded mostly lower on Monday, as weak economic data from Japan overshadowed Australia's private sector growth. Japan's services sector activity declined in March, while its factory sector recorded the sharpest contraction in a year. Meanwhile, Australia's private sector output showed expansion, offering some resilience.
Investors are also anticipating key economic reports this week, including the Bank of Japan's monetary policy meeting minutes on Tuesday and Tokyo's consumer price index for March on Friday.
Japan's Nikkei 225 traded flat at 7:21 am CET. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.43% and South Korea's Kospi was 0.28% down. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite fell by 0.72% while the Shenzhen Composite decreased by 2.18% at the same time. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed flat. The dollar traded 0.24% higher against the yen at 7:20 am CET, selling for 149.6700.
