AMSTERDAM (AP) — With U.S. markets closed, world stocks were mostly higher Monday, with Japan the notable exception as the Nikkei sold off sharply for the second time in a week.
The decline came after Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Karoda said over the weekend Japanese interest rates could rise without causing instability, despite the country's large national debt.
The Nikkei 225 shed 3.2 percent to close at 14,142.65, with exporters hit hardest due to the rising yen. That's the reverse of the picture for most of this year, as yen losses have helped propel the index to a 36 percent gain since January.
Among major losers Monday, Nissan Motor Corp. dropped 6.8 percent. Yamaha Motor Co. tumbled 7.9 percent. Sony Corp. slid 6.3 percent.
The index also lost 7.3 percent on May 23, as investors have begun to wonder whether potential benefits of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's aggressive campaign to lift consumer prices and encourage borrowing and spending have already been priced in.
In European trading, Germany's DAX rose 0.8 percent to 8,370.67. France's CAC-40 advanced 0.8 percent to3,989.20. Markets in Britain and the U.S. were closed for public holidays.