Global shares start sluggishly, yen resumes decline

Asian markets got the new year off to a sluggish start as Chinese economic data disappointed ahead of a raft of reports on global manufacturing due out through the session. The drop in the yen has been viewed as positive for Japanese exports and corporate earnings, and a major reason its share markets outperformed all others last year. Japan's Nikkei (NIK:^9452) will be closed on Thursday and Friday. The index ended 2013 with an annual gain of 57 percent, and many analysts look for a further advance this year as the Bank of Japan remains committed to its massive stimulus campaign.

via Business News - Yahoo Finance http://finance.yahoo.com/news/global-shares-start-sluggishly-yen-233705656.html