Asian stock markets showed a mixed trend. The Japanese stock market was closed for a public holiday. The Chinese stock indexes were up due to speculation that the government will take steps to boost the economy.

Indexes on the close:

Nikkei 225                    closed

Hang Seng                   22,453.89     + 321.36     +1.45%

Shanghai Composite    2,020.34       +16.85        +0.84%

Newcrest Mining dropped 3.1% caused by the price decline of the bullion.

Samsung Electronics declined 2% after reporting its weaker-than expected quarter results.