Asian stocks were mixed on Monday as investors reacted to last week's dismal U.S. payrolls report, while volumes were thin with Japanese markets shut for a public holiday.
Wall Street shares finished mixed on Friday following news that the U.S. economy created just 74,000 jobs in December, the lowest reading since January 2011 and well below estimates for a 200,000 gain. Attention now turns to U.S. corporate profits as earnings season gathers steam this week, with the likes of JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Intel and General Electric due to report.
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Emerging markets watched
Indonesia's rallied 3.2 percent to a two-month high while the hit a one-month high as investors cheered President Yudhoyono's last-minute decision to allow the export of copper, iron ore, lead and zinc concentrates to continue, while banning other mineral ore exports.
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Thailand's benchmark dipped 0.4 percent as anti-government demonstrators in Bangkok vow to shut down the capital and . Shares later rallied and finished the session higher by 2.24 percent.
Indian shares meanwhile, rose over 1.8 percent ahead of consumer price inflation data, posting their biggest single-day gain this year.
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Shanghai 0.5% lower
China's benchmark index closed at a new five-month low as investors shrugged off regulatory attempts to control the initial public offering (IPO) market while the hit a fresh record high against the dollar.
On Sunday, the securities regulator said it will make to keep companies in line. Fears that a glut of new listings will hurt liquidity led the index to post a 3 percent weekly loss on Friday.
Among the top losers, Gemdale tumbled 4 percent while Poly Real Estate lost over 2 percent on reports that new land supply in cities will focus on housing, which limits the development of commercial property projects.
Sydney dips 0.4%
Australia's benchmark index fell to a three-week low as weakness amid financials overshadowed upbeat economic data. and fell 1 percent each.
Home loan commitments for November beat estimates to rise 1 percent, which saw home builders Boral and CSR rally 0.6 and 1.5 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, job advertisements fell in December, pointing to signs of stabilization in the labor market.
Nickel miners rallied on expectations of higher prices after Indonesia's export ban. Western Areas climbed 9 percent while Mincor Resources ended over 4 percent higher.
The nation's biggest phone company Telstra eased 0.2 percent on reports that it is in advanced talks with a U.S. private equity firm over the sale of its Sensis directories business.
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Kospi up 0.6%
South Korea's benchmark Kospi index rebounded after closing at a four-month low last week as investors engaged in bargain hunting while the hit a one-week high following December's weak U.S. jobs report.
Samsung Electronics broke four sessions of losses to jump nearly 2 percent, while Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors rallied 3 and 2 percent, respectively, on strong foreign buying.
— By CNBC.com's Nyshka Chandran. Follow her on Twitter @NyshkaCNBC