Asian markets started the week on a mixed note

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Asian markets started the week on a mixed note

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Monday. Quarterly earnings reports will shed light on the health of the U.S. financial sector in the wake of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and how that will shape the Fed’s tightening cycle. China’s gross domestic product is due on Tuesday, and economists expect it to rise 4% in the first quarter of 2023 from the final quarter of last year, the biggest gain in nearly a year. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.21%, extending its performance from last week’s 1.98% gain, with all 11 sectors finishing higher. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 was marginally lower, while the Topix rose 0.19%. In South Korea, the Kospi fell 0.23%, while the Kosdaq rose 0.15%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.22 percent, while the Hang Seng Tech index fell marginally. Mainland Chinese markets rose, with the Shanghai Composite Index up 0.78 percent and the Shenzhen Component Index up 0.1 percent. U.S. stocks ended Friday’s trading session lower as the market entered earnings season. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost about 0.42 percent, the S&P 500 lost 0.21 percent and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.35 percent for the week.