Asian stocks mixed

Asian stock markets were mixed on Monday after a US jobs report gave a muddy picture of the state of the world's biggest economy, while concerns over Egypt pushed oil back above $100.
Tokyo ended 0.46 percent, or 48.52 points, higher at 10,592.04 and Seoul added 0.47 percent, or 9.71 points, to 2,081.74.
Sydney closed 0.12 percent, or 5.8 points, up at 4,868.5 but Hong Kong finished 1.49 percent, or 355.37 points, lower at 23,553.59.
Trade was quiet across the region as dealers in many markets returned to work after the Lunar New Year holiday, although Shanghai and Taipei remained closed.
The United States released data Friday showing just 36,000 non-farm jobs were created in January.
However, it also said the unemployment rate fell to 9.0 percent of the workforce from 9.4 percent.
Normally such a big decline in the jobless rate would boost optimism over the country's recovery -- the rate has been above nine percent for 22 months.
But the government said the fall came after recalculations on population. At the same time it said the low job creation number was because of the apparent impact of huge snowstorms in January, which skewed data collection.
Tokyo's Nikkei was lifted by exporters on the back of a weakening yen as well as merger activity -- stoked by reports last week of tie-up talks between Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Industries.
On the currency markets the dollar fetched 82.37 yen in the afternoon in Tokyo, compared with 82.19 in New York late Friday.
The euro gained to $1.3608 dollars from $1.3583, and rose to 112.14 yen from 111.62 yen.
Brent North Sea crude for March advanced 42 cents to $100.25 a barrel in the afternoon while New York's main future contract, light sweet crude for March, was up 24 cents at $89.27.
Crude traders have been edgy since the uprising in Egypt began nearly two weeks ago with demands for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
Gold closed at $1,347.50-$1,348.50 an ounce in Hong Kong, up from Wednesday's close of $1,340.70-$1,341.70.
The market was closed on Thursday and Friday for the Lunar New Year holiday.
In other markets:
Singapore closed down 0.59 percent, or 18.94 points, at 3,192.18.
Kuala Lumpur gained 0.25 percent, or 3.78 points, to 1,535.60. Bangkok edged up 0.09 percent or 0.85 points to 985.63.
Indian stocks rose 0.16 percent. The benchmark 30-share Sensex index was up 29.04 points to 18,037.19, but concerns of rising fuel and food prices weighed on the markets.
India's central bank has already hiked interest rates seven times in less than a year, in an effort to tame inflation. Indian shares have fallen near 13 percent this year on overseas funds outflows in excess of $1.2 billion.
India's top property firm DLF rose 2.32 percent or 5.5 rupees to 242.7 while the largest private firm Reliance Industries rose 1.07 percent or 9.8 rupees to 929.3.