Asia-Pacific Markets Mostly Higher Amid Merger Speculation

The Asia-Pacific region's major stock indexes saw mostly positive trading on Monday, as investors eagerly awaited an official announcement regarding the rumored merger talks between Honda and Nissan.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 index surged 1.17% by 3:02 am CET. Similarly, South Korea's Kospi Composite rose 1.38% at 3:03 am CET. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index added 0.30% at the same time, while in mainland China, the Shanghai Composite gained 0.49% and the Shenzhen Composite slipped 0.14%.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index climbed 0.86% by 3:05 am CET, reflecting the broader regional optimism. Meanwhile, the dollar strengthened 0.07% against the yen, trading at ¥156.4605 at 3:05 am CET.