Asian markets opened mixed Monday, with Hong Kong stocks falling as investors assessed downbeat economic data from China, while several key markets were closed for holidays.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.76% on open, after China released a slew of worrying economic data over the weekend, with August factory output, retail sales and investment numbers missing expectations. Urban jobless rate rose to a six-month high while year-on-year home prices fell at their fastest pace in nine years.
Investors also await the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday where the central bankers are expected to make their first interest rate cut since 2020
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.44% on open. The Taiwan Weighted Index edged up slightly.
Markets in mainland China and South Korea were closed for Mid-Autumn festival. Japan markets were closed for Respect for the Aged Day.
Typhoon Bebinca has led to cancellation of hundreds of flights in China and Shanghai is expected to be hit by the strongest storm since 1949.
Asian investors also await a swath of key data and central bank decisions from the region.
Japan’s inflation is expected to tick higher in August, according to a Reuters poll, backing the case for the Bank of Japan to stay hawkish as the board sets its policy on Friday.
The central bank is anticipated to keep the rate unchanged while signaling that further rate hikes were in the offing.
The Japanese yen strengthened Monday morning to trade at 140.49 against the greenback. If the yen holds these levels, the currency will close at its strongest in more than a year.
China is poised to set its one- and five-year loan prime rates on Friday. The one-year rate, which affects most new and outstanding loans, is currently at 3.35%, while the five-year rate, that influences the pricing of mortgages, is currently at 3.85%.
After a rough start to a historically weak September, the three major U.S. indexes ended last week’s trading session in the green, with the S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closing their best week of 2024.
The broad-based S&P 500 index advanced 0.54% to close at 5,626.02 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.65% to 17,683.98 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 0.72% to close at 41,393.78.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 were little changed.
—CNBC’s Pia Singh contributed to this report.
Source: CNBC