Benchmarks were flat early Monday in Paris and Frankfurt and fell in Shanghai, Bangkok, Tokyo and Seoul. Taiwan and India were higher. London and some other markets were closed for holidays.
"The divergences in global monetary policy are set for a sharper turn heading into the new year, especially after the PBOC's announcement that it will remain `proactive' in its use of monetary policy tools," Mizuho Bank said in a commentary. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index lost 0.4% to 28,676.46 and the Kospi in Seoul declined 0.4% to 2,999.55. India's Sensex gained 0.1% to 57,189.09.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled in the U.S. over the holiday weekend, with airlines reporting COVID-related staffing problems. France reported more than 100,000 new cases in a daily record.