Asian markets fall

TOKYO: Asian stock markets were mostly lower on Monday as a US pledge to loan troubled automakers $17.4 billion failed to ease worries about a deteriorating world economy. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 1.7 percent to 14,874.61, and Australia's key index was down 1.6 percent. South Korea's Kospi dipped 0.2 percent after opening higher and Singapore's benchmark was down 0.5 percent. Tokyo bucked the regional trend, with its Nikkei 225 stock average rising 130.68 points, or 1.5 percent, to 8,719.20 despite the latest bad news about the country's exports. Last week in New York, Wall Street finished a choppy session mostly higher. The Dow fell 25.88, or 0.30 percent, to 8,579.11. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.60, or 0.29 percent, to 887.88. U.S. futures were up modestly, meaning Wall Street was poised for a higher open. In currencies, the dollar strengthened to 89.98 yen, up from 89.24 yen, and the euro rose to $1.4007 from $1.3913 late Friday.