Current Market Update

Here are the latest trading levels for Asia's major stock markets: 

Tokyo (Nikkei Average) down 0.1% 

Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) up 1.9% 

Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) up 0.9% (at break) 

 Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) up 1.3% 

 Seoul (Kospi) down 0.7% 

 Mumbai (Sensex) up 0.7% 

 Taipei (Taiex) up 0.9%

Asian Market Update

Asian markets mostly rose Monday on the first full day of trade after the Christmas break, with confidence boosted by Chinese easing measures and another Wall Street record.

Shares in AirAsia tumbled after one of the budget carrier's jets went missing with 162 people on board Sunday and had still not been found early Monday.

Tokyo added 0.31 per cent, Hong Kong jumped 1.48 per cent, Sydney rose 1.01 per cent and Seoul lost 0.51 per cent while Shanghai rallied 1.26 per cent.

KLSE Malaysia Opening Market Update

MALAYSIA share prices opened lower on Monday with the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index down 6.79 points to 1,757.65.

Volume was 229 million lots worth RM187.9 million.

Losers outnumbered gainers 215 to 108.

Dollar notches small gains against euro, yen

 The dollar edged up a notch against the yen and the euro Friday, but trading was expected to remain light in this post-Christmas session.

The dollar USDJPY, +0.00%  was at ¥120.39, from ¥120.15 late Thursday in North America. The euro EURUSD, +0.00%  eased to $1.21.78 from $1.2222.

The WSJ Dollar Index BUXX, +0.30% a measure of the dollar against a basket of major currencies, was up 0.3% at 82.74.

U.S. stocks: Dow industrials, S&P 500 close at records

Santa continued to shower gifts on stock-market investors, as the S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average once again closed at record levels.

The Dow industrials DJIA, +0.13%  closed 23 points, or 0.1%, higher at 18,053, their 38th record close of the year.

The S&P 500 SPH5, +0.33%  gained 6.89 points, or 0.3%, to 2,088.7, its 52nd record close. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.70% gained 33.39 points, or 0.7%, to close at 4,806.8.