Asian shares were mostly higher Monday as bullish sentiment persisted despite continuing signs of economic damage from the pandemic. South Korea's Kospi jumped 2.5% in early trading to 3,230.15. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.7% to 6,714.20. Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged up 0.2% to 27,945.18, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.4% to 3,584.97. Japanese markets were closed for a national holiday, AP reported. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude fell 25 cents to $51.99 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained $1.41 to $52.24 per barrel on Friday. Brent crude, the international standard, shed 45 cents to $55.54 a barrel. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged up to 104.17 Japanese yen from 103.95. The euro cost $1.2176, down from $1.2220.