Asian markets ended mixed. Japan's Nikkei extended recent gains after parliament confirmed the appointment of Haruhiko Kuroda as Bank of Japan governor, raising expectations of swift monetary easing. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell on lingering concerns about local measures to curb runaway real estate prices.

Oil and gold prices both edged higher as the U.S. dollar weakened. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note dipped to 2%.