The leading Asian stock exchanges started the week's first trading day with mixed and giving performances.
In Tokyo, the key Nikkei 225 index grew by 0.2 per cent at lunchtime, while the broader Topix index increased by 0.3.
From Hong Kong's Hang Seng index, the tone was gloomier – minus 1.1 per cent.
The composite indexes in Shanghai and Shenzhen fell by 1.1 and 1.9 per cent, respectively, in the first hours of trading.
