Asia stocks mixed as coronavirus cases stateside go up again

Asia stocks traded mixed on Monday as the number of coronavirus cases stateside soared again.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 closed 0.18% lower at 22,437.27 while the Topix index ended its trading day 0.23% lower at 1,579.09. South Korea’s Kospi closed 0.68% lower at 2,126.73.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dipped 0.75%, as of their final hour of trading, with shares of Chinese tech giant Alibaba dropping more than 2%. Mainland Chinese stocks were mixed on the day. The Shanghai composite dipped slightly to about 2,965.27 while the Shenzhen component added 0.294% to around 11,702.44.

Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 closed above the flatline at 5,944.50.

Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index slid 0.18%.