Asia shares up as strong Japan data offsets Wall St losses

Shares have risen in Asia, shrugging off a weak close last week on Wall Street after Japan's central bank reported a strong improvement in business sentiment.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.6% and shares were also higher in Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined.

The quarterly “tankan” survey by the Bank of Japan showed business sentiment has improved sharply with expectations for a recovery from a year-long recession.

The main measure of business conditions of large manufacturers rose to minus 10 from minus 27. It showed rebounds in all categories, both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing companies, large and small. It was a marked improvement from the past several quarterly reports as Japan battled the coronavirus pandemic.

The tankan measures corporate sentiment by subtracting the number of companies saying business conditions are negative from those responding they are positive.

U.S. markets ended last week on a downbeat note. Benchmarks pulled further away from their recent highs Friday as prospects for another aid package from Washington faded while a surge in virus cases is threatening to inflict more damage on an already battered economy.

The proposed $900 billion aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers has essentially collapsed because of continued partisan bickering.

But President Donald Trump signed a temporary government-wide funding bill into law, averting a federal shutdown at midnight and buying Congress time for the on-again, off-again talks on COVID-19 aid.

“Given these talks have been running since July, the market may be bored to tears, but if the stimulus door slam shut before Christmas, it could still change the positive vaccine mood music," Stephen Innes of Axi said in a commentary.

The S&P 500 slipped...