After a choppy and volatile trading week last week, several of the major indexes are starting Monday in the same direction: up.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 climbed 2.0 percent while the broader Topix rose 0.8 percent.
In South Korea, the Kospi is up 0.6 percent. Among major companies, AI-hyped memory manufacturer SK Hynix is up 1.6 percent, while industry peer Samsung Electronics is down 0.2 percent.
The Hong Kong-based Hang Seng is up 0.7 percent and the Shanghai Stock Exchange is up 0.2 percent. The Shenzhen Stock Exchange is moving against the tide and is falling. At lunchtime it was down 0.8 percent.
