China shares trade lower even as economic data beats expectations; South Korea leads gains in Asia
- Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Monday.
- Data released Monday showed retail sales in China rising 4.9% year-on-year in October, higher than the 3.5% predicted in a Reuters poll. Industrial output for the month also grew 3.5% as compared with a year ago, besting expectations by analysts in a Reuters poll for a 3% increase.
- Preliminary estimates released Monday showed Japan's gross domestic product declining an annualized 3% in the July-September quarter, far worse than the median market forecast for a 0.8% contraction, according to Reuters.
SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Monday as investors reacted to the latest Chinese economic data for October.
Mainland Chinese stocks closed lower, with the Shanghai composite slipping 0.16% to 3,533.30 while the Shenzhen component dipped 0.469% to 14,636.39. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index sat little changed, as of its final hour of trading.
The losses in mainland China came despite Chinese economic data coming in better than expected.
Data released Monday showed retail sales in China rose 4.9% year-on-year in October, higher than the 3.5% gain predicted in a Reuters poll. Industrial output for the month also grew 3.5% compared to a year ago, beating expectations by analysts in a Reuters poll for a 3% increase.
Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi closed 1.03% higher at 2,999.52, leading gains among the region's major markets as shares of chipmaker SK Hynix soared 4.23%.
| TICKER | COMPANY | NAME | PRICE | CHANGE | %CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .N225 | Nikkei 225 Index | NIKKEI | 39,103.22 | +486.12 | +1.26% |
| .HSI | Hang Seng Index | HSI | 18,868.71 | -326.89 | -1.70% |
| .AXJO | S&P/ASX 200 | ASX 200 | 7,811.80 | -36.30 | -0.46% |
| .SSEC | Shanghai | SHANGHAI | 3,116.39 | -42.15 | -1.33% |
| .KS11 | KOSPI Index | KOSPI | 2,721.81 | -1.65 | -0.06% |
| .FTFCNBCA | CNBC 100 ASIA IDX | CNBC 100 | 9,762.75 | -8.17 | -0.08% |
The Nikkei 225 in Japan rose 0.56% to close at 29,776.80 as shares of conglomerate SoftBank Group jumped 2.23%. The Topix index gained 0.39% to 2,048.52.
Preliminary estimates released Monday showed Japan's gross domestic product declining an annualized 3% in the July-September quarter, far worse than the median market forecast for a 0.8% contraction, according to Reuters.
The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia ended the trading day 0.36% higher at 7,470.10.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.35% higher.
Currencies and oil
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 95.014 following a recent rise from below 94.5.
The Japanese yen traded at 113.94 per dollar, following last week's weakening from levels below 113 against the greenback. The Australian dollar was at $0.7348, having slipped from above $0.74 last week.
Oil prices declined in the afternoon of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures down 0.92% to $81.41 per barrel. U.S. crude futures shed 0.8% to $80.14 per barrel.