Asian stock markets struggled to make headway as data on Japan's economy disappointed investors and worries persisted about growth in China and Europe's ability to pull out of a debt crisis.
Japan's economy grew at a slower-than-expected annualized rate of 1.4 percent in April-June, with Europe's economic and debt crisis hitting the country's export sector hard. The report, coming on top of weaker-than-expected trade data from China on Friday, compounded fears of a global economic slowdown.
Still, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.2 percent in early trading, apparently sustained by an economy that was still in growth mode despite multiple headwinds. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.2 percent to 20,086.47 and South Korea's Kospi lost 0.4 percent to 1,939.37. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5 percent to 4,300.60.
Stan Shamu of IG Markets in Melbourne said investors remained frustrated by slowing export growth out of China and a less-than-expected decline in inflation in the world's second-largest economy. China said Friday that its exports rose 1 percent over a year earlier, well below the 5 percent that economists expected.