Asian Shares Dip

Asian shares fell in muted trading Monday ahead of the Thanksgiving holidays in the US, as gloom carried over from Friday’s retreat on Wall Street. Japan reported its exports rose 14% in October from a year earlier on strong demand from China and the US, AP reported. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 0.6% to 22,271.35. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2% to 5,946.60. South Korea’s Kospi dipped nearly 0.2% to 2,529.40. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.1% at 29,186.16, while the Shanghai Composite index dropped 1.2% to 3,341.96. Indian bond yields fell for the second straight day on Monday as traders took comfort from the central bank’s unexpected decision to cancel a scheduled sale of bonds via open market operation post market hours on Friday. The benchmark 10-year bond yield fell to as much as 6.92%, lowest since November 10. It closed at 7.05% on Friday. Meanwhile, the dollar fell to 112.04 yen from 112.09 yen in Asia. The euro slipped to $1.173 from $1.179.