Asian share markets and the dollar made a cautious start on Monday as confusion over US trade policy showed little sign of easing, in a week packed with major economic data and mega-tech earnings.

Early action in markets was light, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edging up 0.1 percent. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.9 percent, while South Korea firmed 0.2 percent.

EUROSTOXX 50 futures added 0.3 percent, while FTSE futures and DAX futures both rose 0.2 percent.

Going the other way, S&P 500 futures dipped 0.4 percent in early trade, while Nasdaq futures eased 0.5 percent. The S&P has bounced almost 12 percent from the April 8 trough, but remains 10 percent below its peak.