• Asian stocks and U.S. equity futures posted modest gains on Monday on hopes of solid U.S. holiday sales, though risk appetite was tempered as plunging oil prices fanned worries about the global economic outlook.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS edged up 0.6 percent, led by gains in Hong Kong and Taiwan, while Japan's Nikkei .N225 advanced 0.8 percent.

• The Nikkei share average ended the day up 0.76 percent at 21,812.00, posting its second session of gains. The index briefly rose to 21,838.10, its highest since Nov. 19.

“Market focus is shifting towards factors linked to domestic demand, with the latest example being Osaka’s hosting of the World Expo.”

The western Japanese city of Osaka won the bid to host the 2025 World Expo at the weekend.

• China stocks shed early gains to end lower on Monday as investors weighed the confluence of risks in the upcoming U.S.-China trade talks, Chinese economy and global oil prices. Financials were the outliers, anchoring the market and steadying the major indices.

At close, the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.1 percent at 2,575.81. The blue-chip CSI300 index was also down 0.1 percent.