Asian markets are mostly higher Monday. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index is up 1.3%. The S&P/ASX index in Australia is down 0.2%. The KOSPI index in South Korea is up 1.2%, while Taiwan’s TSEC index is up 1.8%. In late afternoon trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index is up 0.8%, Shanghai’s Composite is down 2.5 points, but is virtually unchanged percentage-wise, and Mumbai’s Sensex is up 1.2%. In commodities, gold is trading at $1,863.00 an ounce, down 0.1%. U.S. crude is trading at $39.89 per barrel, down 0.8%, and Brent crude oil is trading at $41.61 per barrel, down 0.7%. All three major U.S. indices are trending upward in futures trading.
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