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Markets in Asia traded mixed Monday morning, with some analysts predicting a quiet week ahead in the absence of major economic data from the US and China, and with many markets off for Good Friday.

The South Korean Kospi was up 0.44 percent, while Down Under, the ASX 200 was down 0.21 percent. The Australian benchmark index was weighed down by losses in the energy subindex, down 1.32 percent, and the financials subindex, lower by 0.49 percent.

In Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225, which shed 1.25 percent Friday to close at 16,724.81, was closed for a public holiday. The index came under pressure late last week, following renewed strength in the Japanese yen against the dollar. The dollar/yen pair traded down 0.17 percent at 111.36 early Monday morning, after finishing at 111.55 on Friday.

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Meanwhile, the Australian dollar weakened against the US dollar Monday morning, with the pair trading down 0.14 percent at 0.7588. Last Thursday, the Aussie reached the USD 0.76 level against the greenback, before retreating.

Ray Attrill, global co-head of FX strategy at the National Australia Bank, said in a note that the Australian market would be "on guard for some renewed jawboning on the currency. Lack thereof will likely be a catalyst for new post July 2015 highs" in the currency market.

Major Australian miners traded mixed, with shares of Rio Tinto up 0.2 percent and BHP Billiton lower by 0.55 percent, while the country's so-called Big Four banks - ANZ, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac and NAB - were down between 0.28 and 1.04 percent.

South Korean blue chip stocks were mostly higher, with Samsung Electronics adding 0.39 percent, Kepco up 1.17 percent and Hyundai Motor higher by 0.66 percent.

Major US indexes closed in the green on Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial average up by 0.69 percent, S&P 500 higher by 0.44 percent and the Nasdaq composite ending 0.43 percent higher.

First Published:Mar 21, 2016 7:41 AM IST