Asia Ends Mixed; European Shares Rise

SEOUL, South Korea -- Asian stocks ended mixed Monday after a decline on Wall Street and as investors hunkered down ahead of a stream of figures that could confirm the U.S. economy is recovering at a slower pace. European shares were trading higher.

Trading in Asia was subdued with financial markets in Japan closed for a national holiday. Oil hovered above $78 a barrel while the dollar rose slightly against the yen and fell vs. the euro.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 315.55, or 1.4%, to 22,771.39, while South Korea's Kospi fell 1.55, or 0.1%, to 1,619.05.

Elsewhere, Australia's index gained 0.7% and China's Shanghai benchmark rose 0.9%.

In Europe, France's CAC-40 was up 1.8%, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.7% and Germany's DAX advanced 1.7%. Stock futures pointed to gains Monday on Wall Street.

Investors in Asia were cautious because of an upcoming slew of figures on the U.S. economy, the world's largest, including revised gross domestic product growth for the third quarter. Many analysts expect the initial estimate of a 3.5% annual growth rate to be lowered.

Also due this week are reports on home sales, unemployment, consumer confidence and demand for big-ticket manufactured goods.

"Everybody is watching to see if the U.S. consumer will go out and spend," said Jackson Wong, vice president at Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong.

There's also a focus on the U.S. dollar, he said, after it regained strength amid safe haven buying sparked by Dell's(DELL Quote) gloomy business outlook and European Central Bank plans to start reining in stimulus programs.