Asia off to cautious start ahead of earnings, US data Senin, 12 April 2021 / 07:35 WIB Sumber: Anna Suci Perwitasari KONTAN.CO.ID - SYDNEY. Asian shares started cautiously on Monday as investors wait to see if U.S. earnings can justify sky-high valuations, while bond markets could be tested by what should be very strong readings for U.S. inflation and retail sales this week. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was off 0.05% in slow early trade. Tokyo's Nikkei edged up 0.1%, while South Korean stocks rose 0.2%. Investors were anxious to see how shares in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd fared after China slapped a record 18 billion yuan ($2.75 billion) fine on the e-commerce giant.