Asian stock markets were generally weaker with US crude in holiday-thinned trading on Monday, as uncertainty over the economic impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant weighed on investor sentiment.
US airlines have cancelled or delayed thousands of flights over the past three days due to Covid-19-related staff shortages, while several cruise ships had to cancel stops after outbreaks on board.
In Asia, China reported its highest daily rise in local Covid-19 cases in 21 months over the weekend as infections more than doubled in the northwestern city of Xian, the country’s latest Covid hot spot.
Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.20 per cent while South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.11 per cent.
