Shares were lower in Asia in thin trading Monday, with many markets including those in Tokyo and Shanghai closed for holidays.
The declines follow a retreat Friday on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 gave up 0.7% but still closed out its best month so far this year.
Markets have mostly climbed in recent weeks as investors remain optimistic that the pandemic is slowly and steadily coming to a close, at least in the United States. The S&P 500 rose 5.2% in April, its best monthly gain since November 2020, when President Joe Biden was elected.
In much of Asia and many other countries, caseloads have surged and vaccination levels remain low.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng HK:HSI lost 1.6%, and the Kospi KR:180721 in South Korea slipped 0.1%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 AU:XJO inched 0.1% lower, while shares fell in Singapore SG:STI and Taiwan TW:Y9999.
U.S. futures were higher, with the contracts for both the Dow industrials YM00 and the S&P 500 ES00 up 0.3%.
