America News Agency

China released its official purchasing managers’ index data for August. The manufacturing PMI fell to a six-month low of 49.1, a faster contraction than the 49.4 seen in July. On the other hand, China’s non-manufacturing PMI climbed to 50.3, up from July’s 50.2.

Among the economic data from major markets in the region are South Korea's inflation numbers, Australia’s second-quarter GDP data, and data on pay and household spending from Japan later this week.

Hong Kong Hang Seng Index tumbled 1.8 percent, while the CSI300 shed 1.2 percent, dragged down by real estate stocks.

The August Caixin manufacturing PMI improved the country’s manufacturing activity. It expanded to 50.4 compared to July’s 49.8 and beat the 50.0 expected by a Reuters poll of economists.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 was marginally below the flatline, while the broad-based Topix was 0.01 percent lower. The Nikkei briefly crossed the 39,000 mark earlier in the session, making it the first time the index had crossed 39,000 since July 31. South Korea’s Kospi was 0.44 percent up, while the small-cap Kosdaq was 0.01 percent lower. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 reversed losses and rose 0.18 percent.

On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a fresh record high in the U.S., with the blue-chip index jumping 0.55 percent to close at 41,563.08. The S&P 500 advanced 1.01 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 1.13 percent. On Friday, traders also assessed key inflation data watched closely by the Federal Reserve.