Asian shares were mixed on Monday at the outset of the last trading week of the year as countries grappled with the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index NIK, -0.33% lost 0.2% and the Kospi 180721, -0.35% in Seoul declined 0.4%. The Shanghai Composite index SHCOMP, -0.15% rose 0.2%.Comments by China’s central bank, or People’s Bank of China, about support for the economy highlighted differences in stance among major economies in balancing the need to support economic recoveries from the pandemic while keeping inflation in check.
“The divergences in global monetary policy are set for a sharper turn heading into the new year, especially after the PBOC’s announcement that it will remain ‘proactive’ in its use of monetary policy tools,” Mizuho Bank said in a commentary. That followed a mixed day of quiet trading on Friday, when many markets around the world were closed or ending early in observance of Christmas.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled in the U.S. over the holiday weekend, with airlines reporting COVID-related staffing problems. France reported more than 100,000 new cases in a daily record.
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