Stock market today: Asia stocks follow Wall Street higher, while China keeps its key rate unchanged

News Snapshot:

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher on Monday, with Tokyo extending its New Year rally, as China’s central bank kept its one-year policy loan interest rate unchanged. U.S. futures and oil prices gained. China’s central bank opted to keep its one-year policy loan interest rate at 2.5% on Monday while injecting funds into the financial system. That surprised market observers since it was contrary to the anticipated trend of lowering borrowing costs to stimulate the economy. The “Policy focus has shifted to the effectiveness of monetary policy,” Zhaopeng Xing and Raymond Yeung of ANZ said in a...