Asian stocks were mixed Monday as news that fewer than expected European banks failed stress tests was tempered by fears US lawmakers will not agree a budget that will help avoid a catastrophic default. Hong Kong gained 0.66 per cent and Seoul fell 0.56 per cent while Sydney, Shanghai and Taipei were all flat. Tokyo was closed for a public holiday. The European Banking Authority said on Friday that... 

Asian shares rose Monday on hopes that crews would avert a meltdown at a Japanese nuclear plant, but dealers were still cautious while air strikes in Libya hurt sentiment and sent oil higher. With Tokyo’s stock exchanges closed for a public holiday, the region extended Friday’s gains that came after a week of volatility in which billions of dollars were wiped out following the quake-tsunami... 

Japanese and Australian stocks pushed higher on Friday on positive signals from both economies, even as rising uncertainty about Egypt kept oil prices around the $100 mark. With most other Asian markets closed for Lunar New Year, Tokyo’s Nikkei index ended the session up 1.08 per cent, or 112.16 points, at 10,543.52 points, while Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.87 per cent, or 42.1...