Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.1 per cent to 38,137.09 as the government reported that the Japanese economy contracted by 0.2 per cent in the January-March quarter.
In South Korea, the Kospi added 1.9 per cent to 2,865.52.
Chinese markets rose even though the government reported that exports slowed in May, growing 4.8 per cent from a year earlier after a jump of more than 8 per cent in April. Exports to the United States fell nearly 10 per cent compared with a year earlier.
China also reported that consumer prices fell 0.1 per cent in May from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive month of deflation.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng picked up 1.4 per cent to 24,119.64 while the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.4 per cent to 3,397.13.
Australia’s market was closed for a public holiday.
On Friday, stocks gained ground on Wall Street following a better-than-expected report on the US job market.
The gains were broad, with every sector in the S and P 500 rising. That solidified a second consecutive winning week for the benchmark index, which has rallied back from a slump two months ago to come within striking distance of its record high.
The S and P 500 rose 1 per cent to 6,000.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1 per cent to 42,762.87 while the Nasdaq gained 1.2 per cent, to 19,529.95.
Technology stocks, with their outsized values, led the broad gains. Chipmaker Nvidia jumped 1.2 per cent and iPhone maker Apple rose 1.6 per cent.
Tesla rose 3.7 per cent, regaining some of the big losses it suffered on Thursday when Trump and Musk sparred feverishly on social media.
Circle Internet Group, the US-based issuer of one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, rose 29.4 per cent. That adds to its 168 per cent gain from Thursday when it debuted on the New York Stock Exchange.
US employers slowed their hiring last month, but still added a solid 139,000 jobs amid uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s trade war. The closely watched monthly update reaffirmed that the job market remains resilient, despite worries from businesses and consumers about the impact of tariffs on goods going to and coming from the US and its most important trading partners.
President Donald Trump’s on-again-off-again tariffs continue to weigh on companies. Lululemon Athletica plunged 19.8 per cent after the maker of yoga clothing cut its profit expectations late Thursday as it tries to offset the impact of tariffs while being buffeted by competition from start-up brands.
Lululemon joins a wide range of companies, from retailers to airlines, that have warned investors about the potential hit to their revenue and profits because of tariffs raising costs and consumers potentially tightening their spending.
Hopes that Trump will lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries are a main reason the S and P 500 has rallied back so furiously since dropping roughly 20 per cent two months ago from an all-time high.
The economy is absorbing the impact from tariffs on a wide range of goods from key trading partners, along with raw materials such as steel. Heavier tariffs could hit businesses and consumers in the coming months.
The US economy contracted during the first quarter. Recent surveys by the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, found that both American manufacturing and services businesses contracted last month.
On Tuesday, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development forecast 1.6 per cent growth for the US economy this year, down from 2.8 per cent last year.
The uncertainty over tariffs and their economic impact has put the Federal Reserve in a delicate position.
In other trading early Monday, US benchmark crude oil lost 3 cents to USD 64.55 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 5 cents to USD 66.42 per barrel.
The US dollar retreated to 144.42 Japanese yen from 144.85 yen. The euro edged higher, to USD 1.1422 from USD 1.1399. (AP) PY PY
