Asian Markets Down, US Stock Futures Rise After Easter Weekend

Asian markets started the week on a less-than-steady footing, with Japan’s Nikkei breaking out from the pack to eke out a small gain Monday. Meanwhile, Brent crude oil futures rose to trade around $40 per barrel, bouncing back from last week's slide.

European stock markets are closed for Easter Monday, as were share markets in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

Pakistan’s KSE 100 Index sank at open Monday, following a deadly suicide attack in Lahore Sunday, but then rebounded, closing the day 0.01 percent up.

Other Asian markets finished mixed on Monday. Nikkei 225 gained 0.77 percent, while China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.73 percent. China’s Nasdaq-style ChiNext index fell 0.74 percent. Elsewhere in Asia, India’s S&P BSE Sensex was down 1.66 percent while South Korea’s Kospi index was down 0.06 percent.

U.S. stock futures on the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones index were up 0.32 percent while stock futures on the Nasdaq exchange were up 0.44 percent.

In the U.S., investors are watching out for the report on personal income and spending data for February to be released Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.