Stock market today: Japan’s Nikkei tops 40,000, as investors await China political meeting [Video]

HONG KONG – Asian stocks were mostly higher Monday ahead of China’s top annual political gathering, while Japan’s benchmark surpassed the 40,000 level for the first time.

U.S. futures fell and oil prices were little changed.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 share index rose to 40,314.64 but fell back slightly. It gained 0.5% to close at 40,109.23 following an advance last week on Wall Street that pushed U.S. stocks to new heights.

Shares in Japan have tracked gains in other markets driven by expectations for strong demand for technology associated with artificial intelligence. They have also been boosted by continued easy credit policies with the Bank of Japan pumping money into the economy to help support growth.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.5% to 16,500.50 and the Shanghai Composite index rose 0.3% to 3,034.78.

This week the spotlight is mainly on China’s National People’s Congress, the country’s most important political event. It opens Tuesday, and investors are watching for updates on specific policies …