Asia-Pacific markets were mixed in early Monday trade as investors awaited a key batch of economic data from China, including third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures expected to show further moderation in growth.
Economists forecast China’s economy to have expanded by 4.8% year-on-year in the July-to-September period, easing from the 5.2% pace recorded in the previous quarter.
The reading will be closely watched for signs of sustained recovery momentum amid lingering weakness in the property and manufacturing sectors.
By 11:30 am AEDT (12:30 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.2%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 2%. South Korea’s Kospi 200 edged 0.4% lower.
The moves came after Wall Street closed higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite each gaining around 0.5%, buoyed by solid earnings and hopes of easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
In commodities, Brent crude rose 0.4% to US$61.29 per barrel, recovering slightly after touching its lowest level since early May.
Spot gold retreated 1.7% from record highs to settle at US$4,253.98 per ounce, as investors rotated out of safe-haven assets amid improving risk sentiment.
On Friday, Chinese equities fell sharply, with the Shanghai Composite down 2% to 3,839.8 and the CSI 300 index losing 2.3% to 4,514.2.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index declined 2.5% to a multi-week low of 25,247.1, while India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.6% to close at 83,952.2—its highest level since June.
In Europe, major indices ended the week lower. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.9% to 9,354.6, Germany’s DAX slid 1.8% to 23,831.0, and France’s CAC 40 eased 0.2% to 8,174.2.
