Asia-Pacific stocks mixed as multiple regional markets are closed for Christmas holidays

SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Monday, with multiple major markets in the region closed for holidays.

Mainland Chinese stocks closed mixed, with the Shanghai composite dipping fractionally to 3,615.97 while the Shenzhen component rose slightly to around 14,715.65. China’s industrial profits in November jumped 9% from last year, data released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics showed.

Elsewhere, the Nikkei 225 in Japan slipped 0.37% on the day to 28,676.46 while the Topix index shed 0.45% to 1,977.90. South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.43% to close at 2,999.55.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.04% higher.

Major markets in Asia-Pacific such as Australia and Hong Kong were closed for the Christmas holidays.

Currencies and oil

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 96.158 after recently declining from above 96.3.

The Japanese yen traded at 114.46 per dollar, weaker than levels below 114 seen against the greenback last week. The Australian dollar was at $0.7227 after rising from below $0.72 in the previous trading week.

Oil prices were lower in the afternoon of Asia trading hours on Monday, with international benchmark Brent crude futures down 0.29% to $75.92 per barrel. U.S. crude futures shed 1.34% to $72.80 per barrel.