iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Asian shares were mixed on Monday, October 12, 2026, after U.S. stocks rose on Friday. Japan’s cash market was closed for a holiday, and investors were looking ahead to U.S. inflation and retail-sales data and the start of major bank earnings on Tuesday.
How Asian markets moved on Monday
Country-level moves differed across reports and snapshot times. The Associated Press reported South Korea’s Kospi down 3.1% at 6,416.17, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng up 0.2% at 24,253.70, and the Shanghai Composite down 0.1% at 3,809.08. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.9% to 8,790.70; Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.2%, while India’s Sensex gained 0.1%. These are the AP’s reported intraday observations, not closing figures. Associated Press
A Reuters snapshot offered a different reading of the session: South Korean shares were down 1.1%, while MSCI’s broadest Asia-Pacific shares index excluding Japan was little changed. The difference from AP’s Kospi figure underscores that market snapshots can reflect different observation times. Reuters also reported that Japan’s cash equities were closed for a holiday. Reuters via Investing.com
Recommended Free Tools
Wall Street’s Friday close versus Monday futures
U.S. stocks finished higher on Friday: the S&P 500 rose 0.6% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.8%, according to AP. During Monday’s Asian session, Reuters reported S&P 500 futures up 0.2% and Nasdaq futures up 0.5%. Futures are indications of where trading may begin, not Monday U.S. cash-market results. AP Reuters
#1 Best Overall
What investors were watching this week
U.S. inflation and retail sales
Consumer-price and producer-price reports, along with retail-sales data, were among the U.S. releases highlighted as potential market catalysts by Reuters and AP. The reports could shape investors’ view of inflation and consumer demand; the sources do not establish a particular outcome or market reaction in advance.
Major-bank earnings
Major U.S. banks were due to begin reporting earnings on Tuesday, October 13, according to Reuters and AP. The results are an early test of the earnings season. Reuters described the season as a test for elevated technology valuations, but that is market framing rather than evidence that valuation concerns caused Monday’s moves.
Rank #2
- Comes with secure packaging
- Easy to read text
- It can be a gift option
Checking individual company dates
Kiplinger’s October 9 weekly calendar listed no noteworthy earnings releases for Monday, October 12, and included Johnson & Johnson among companies scheduled to report third-quarter results before Tuesday’s open. Kiplinger cautioned that calendar dates were tentative unless officially announced, so check a company’s investor-relations announcement for its confirmed date and time before relying on a listing. Kiplinger earnings calendar
Why the market snapshots do not all match
Index levels and percentage changes are time-stamped observations, not timeless quotes. A report from earlier or later in the session may show a different move, and a regional index excluding Japan does not represent every Asian market. Compare like with like: country indexes with the same session and observation time, Friday U.S. cash closes with other cash closes, and Monday futures with futures.
Reuters also described oil as choppy amid geopolitical and energy-supply uncertainty. That was context for the report, not proof that oil or any single factor caused a particular index’s performance.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

