Asian Stocks Finish Mixed

Updated from 12:31 a.m. EST

Asian stocks finished mixed Monday with shares in Japan declining as investors awaited key U.S. data this week amid ongoing nervousness about the health of the global economy.

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average closed down 1.4% to 8397.22. Real estate stocks fell after condominium developer Morimoto filed for bankruptcy protection Friday, becoming the latest collapse in the troubled sector.

Shares of Honda(HMC) declined after an executive said the carmaker will have a tough time meeting its lowered annual profit forecasts because of weaker sales. Toyota(TM) and Nissan(NSANY) also closed lower amid concerns about the fate of their U.S. counterparts.

The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong rose 1.6%, while the S&P/ASX 200 index in Australia dropped 1.6% .

Stocks in Europe were trading higher. The FTSE 100 index in London rose 1.5%, while the DAX in Frankfurt rose 0.1%.

Budget airline Ryanair(RYAAY) announced a new takeover bid for its Irish rival, Aer Lingus.

Premarket futures in the U.S. were indicating a lower opening for stocks on Wall Street Monday. S&P 500 futures fell 10.30 points to 885, and were 10.47 points below fair value. Nasdaq futures fell 8.25 points to 1177.75, and were 8.12 points below fair value.

In the U.S., the Institute for Supply Management's November manufacturing survey is due later Monday, and other major economic reports are scheduled for later this week.

On Friday, blue-chip stocks on Wall Street ended the choppy, abbreviated trading session with gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 102.43 points, or 1.2%, to 8829.04, and the S&P 500 added 8.56 points, or 1%, to 896.24. The Nasdaq edged up 3.47 points, or 0.2%, to 1,535.57.

Oil prices fell to below $53 a barrel Monday in Asia after OPEC declined to cut production at an informal meeting in Cairo on Saturday.

Light, sweet crude for January delivery fell $1.73 to $52.70 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract settled down a penny at $54.43 on Friday.

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints