Nikkei breaks new records on Asian stock markets

Japan’s Nikkei 225 continues rally to new high; Chinese stocks rise. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index hit a new record on Monday as investors returned from a long weekend. Elsewhere, Chinese stocks opened higher to extend a winning streak. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 0.6 percent to trade comfortably above its previous closing high of 39,098.68. The index reached its all-time high of 38,915.87, set in 1989, for the first time on Thursday. The broader Topix added 0.8 percent. Investors will be focused on a raft of economic data this week, including China’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index and the U.S. personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge. China’s CSI 300 index rose 0.1 percent. The index is on track for a 10th straight day in the green. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.1 percent. South Korea's Kospi bucked a 1.1 percent decline, while the small-cap Kospi rose 0.2 percent. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2 percent