SINGAPORE — Stocks in Asia-Pacific looked set for a mixed start on Monday as investors continue to monitor the Covid situation regionally.

Futures pointed to a higher open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 28,495 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 28,510. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 27,940.42.

Shares in Australia were poised for an opening dip. The SPI futures contract was at 7,262, against the S&P/ASX 200’s last close at 7,273.30.

In economic news, China’s central bank announced Friday a 50 basis points cut in its reserve requirement ratio for all banks, effective from July.

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 92.153 after a recent slide from above 92.4.

The Japanese yen traded at 110.19 per dollar, weaker than levels seen below 110 against the greenback last week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7488, still below levels above $0.755 seen last week.