Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline, while Tokyo again touches a record high

BY YURI KAGEYAMA

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly declined Monday, although Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index touched another record high in morning trading.

The Nikkei 225 gained 0.5% to 39,309.76. Trading was closed in Tokyo for a holiday on Friday. The benchmark surged to an all-time high on Thursday.

In currency trading, the dollar edged up to 150.49 Japanese yen from 150.47 yen. The euro cost $1.0818, down from $1.0823.

The weakness of the yen is one factor attracting many foreign investors to Japanese shares, said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.

He said investors were selling to lock in profits from recent gains in Chinese markets, which have rallied slightly after a months-long slump.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 0.7% to 16,606.31, while the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.7% to 2,984.74.

Elsewhere in Asia, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 7,641.50. South Korea’s