Asian markets were rising Monday thanks to investors' continued optimism over a post-pandemic recovery.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index closed 2.2 percent higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was trading 0.5 percent higher in late afternoon trading, and the Shanghai Composite was up 1.7 percent.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX index was trading 0.8 percent higher. The KOSPI index in South Korea was up 1.6 percent, and Taiwan’s TSEC index rose 1.1 percent. Mumbai’s Sensex index was up 0.3 percent in late afternoon trading.
In oil trading, U.S. crude oil was selling at $40.14 per barrel, down 1 percent, and Brent crude, the international standard, was selling at $42.88 per barrel, down 0.8 percent.
All three major U.S. indexes were trending upward in futures trading.