The major Asia-Pac equity benchmarks trade...>

STOCKS: The major Asia-Pac equity benchmarks trade in mixed fashion at writing.

- The Nikkei 225 has struggled after the long weekend, with the ongoing

Japan-South Korea trade spat likely adding pressure, while USD/JPY operated

below Y108.00 for the bulk of the session, also adding some modest weight.

- Participants pointed to low volumes across the region, with a raft of Fedspeak

due, while the U.S. earnings season is set to heat up in the coming days.

- Citi provided the highlight of the U.S. earnings reports on Monday, providing

a beat on the majority of headline metrics, although the stock's early gains

gave way as the Tsy curve bull flattened.

- The rally in the tech space managed to outweigh the negative impetus of the

financial and energy sectors, with the big three U.S. indices registering fresh

all-time closing highs.

- Nikkei 225 -0.7%, Hang Seng +0.2%, CSI 300 -0.4%, ASX 200 +0.1%.

- S&P 500 futures +3, DJIA futures +15, NASDAQ 100 futures +10.