Investing.com - Asian stocks were mostly higher on Monday as the first quarter of the calendar year ends and earnings season looms.
The Hang Seng index rose 0.28% while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.08 and the Nikkei 225 edged up 0.43% in morning trade. Still, Japanese stocks were on track for their worst quarter in nearly two year.
Investors sold (2342.HK) shares after a weaker-than-expected profit report, sending the stock down more than 3% Monday.
Also in Hong Kong, shares in lender Harbin Bank edged 0.3% higher in debut trading after the lender priced the shares from the $1.1 billion IPO last week close to the bottom of the indicative price range.
Last week, U.S. stocks applauded solid consumer spending numbers on Friday, though equities trimmed gains when investors sold and jumped to the sidelines to brace for first-quarter earnings to begin publishing in April.
At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow 30 rose 0.36%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.46%, while the Nasdaq rose 0.11%.
Monday will mark the last trading day of the quarter.
After the close of European trade on Friday, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 rose 1.17%, France's CAC 40 rose 0.74%, while Germany's DAX rose 1.44%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 rose 0.41%.