SINGAPORE — Stocks in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Monday afternoon trade, as investors reacted to the release of China’s GDP data.
Mainland Chinese stocks were lower by the afternoon, with the Shanghai composite down 0.33% while the Shenzhen component shed 0.362%.
China’s third-quarter GDP grew 4.9% as compared to a year ago, according to data released Monday by the country’s National Bureau of Statistics. That compared against expectations by Chinese economists of 5.2% GDP growth in the third quarter, according to an average of estimates compiled by Wind Information, a financial information database.
Meanwhile, retail sales in China rose 3.3% in September from a year earlier.
Asia-Pacific markets mixed
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.69%, with shares of HSBC listed in the city gaining more than 1.5%.
Shares of Alibaba in Hong Kong rose 0.95%. The Chinese tech giant’s financial technology affiliate Ant Group has received approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission for the Hong Kong leg of its anticipated listing, a source told CNBC.
Meanwhile, Sun Art Retail Group’s stock soared more than 18% after Alibaba announced it agreed to acquire controlling stakes in the firm.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 1.21% while the Topix index added 1.39%.
Japan’s exports fell 4.9% as compared to a year earlier in September, according to trade statistics released by the country’s Ministry of Finance on Monday.
South Korea’s Kospi also advanced 0.7%.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia rose, with the S&P/ASX 200 up about 1.06%.
In Southeast Asia, the SET Composite index in Thailand fell more than 1.5% as protests continue in the country.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.57%.
Currencies and oil
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was last at 93.748 after touching levels around 93.9 in recent days.
The Japanese yen traded at 105.44 per dollar after seeing levels below 105.3 against the greenback last week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7087 following its decline last week from levels above $0.715.
Oil prices were lower in the afternoon of Asian trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures down more than 0.3% to $42.78 per barrel. U.S. crude futures was about 0.4% lower at $40.72 per barrel.
— CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal and Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report.
Source: CNBC