Investing.com - Shares in Tokyo gained on Monday, bucking an otherwise negative trend as investors mulled comments last week by Fed ChairJanet Yellen and looked ahead to possible elaboration later this week.
The Nikkei 225 was up 0.25% after Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda commented on the growth and inflation outlook.
Elsewhere, the Shanghai Composite Index eased 0.09% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.72%. The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.68%.
This week will see the European Central Bank’s post policy meeting press conference on Thursday amid speculation over whether it will further expand its stimulus program in the face of sluggish growth and inflation. Also on the watchlist are Chinese figures on third quarter GDP, industrial production and retail sales due for release on Wednesday, with the rate of growth expected to ease again.
This coming Friday, Yellen will give a speech. On Friday last week, Yellen suggested the Fed may need to run a "high-pressure" economy in order to reverse damage from the global financial crisis that depressed output, raising questions about long-term policy though not investor views the Fed is likely to raise interest rates in December.
On Monday, the euro zone is to publish revised data on inflation. and the U.S. will report industrial production and manufacturing activity in the New York region. Among policymakers, ECB President Mario Draghi will speak at an event in Frankfurt and Fed Vice-Chair Stanley Fischer will speak in New York.
Last week, U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Technology, Financials and Industrials sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.22%, while the S&P 500 index added 0.02%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 0.02%.