Asian markets swing as China economic growth slows

3 hours ago 1
While the Chinese system  grew astatine  its slowest gait  since aboriginal  2023, information  besides  showed a pick-up successful  retail salesWhile the Chinese system grew astatine its slowest gait since aboriginal 2023, information besides showed a pick-up successful retail sales. Photo: GREG BAKER / AFP
Source: AFP

Asian markets fluctuated Friday aft China posted its weakest economical maturation successful a twelvemonth and a half, arsenic golden prices deed a grounds precocious and pursuing a tepid pb from Wall Street.

Investors person been clamouring for Beijing to present much factual plans for the country's stuttering economy since past month's slew of stimulus announcements that had fanned hopes officials would unload the "bazooka" argumentation galore person been calling for.

However, aft a blockbuster rally crossed mainland and Hong Kong markets, 3 high-level briefings that had caused overmuch anticipation fell good abbreviated of expectations and sparked a sell-off that ate into those aboriginal gains.

Friday's quality that gross home merchandise expanded 4.6 percent drove location the request for much help.

While it was fractionally amended than what was forecast successful an AFP survey of economists, the fig marked the slowest gait of maturation since the commencement of 2023 -- the 4th aft the lifting of strict Covid-19 pandemic measures.

Authorities person struggled to reignite the world's fig 2 system arsenic it battles a stinging indebtedness situation successful the spot assemblage and torpid user activity.

The measures announced truthful acold code immoderate of the issues but observers person called for much action, with galore informing the authorities would conflict to deed its 5 percent yearly people this year.

Still, quality that retail income -- a gauge of user spending -- and concern output roseate much than expected successful September was a agleam spot.

Shares successful Hong Kong and Shanghai edged up successful the greeting arsenic investors digested the latest reports, portion determination were besides gains successful Tokyo acknowledgment to a weaker yen.

Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta besides rose, but Sydney, Singapore and Seoul edged down.

Gold roseate past $2,700 to a caller grounds and crude prices edged up connected geopolitical uncertainties aft Israel said it killed Hamas main Yahya Sinwar.

Traders were already connected borderline implicit the situation successful the Middle East arsenic Israel battles Hamas successful Gaza and, much recently, Hezbollah successful confederate Lebanon, with worries astir a region-wide warfare that could instrumentality successful Iran.

Wall Street had a mostly uneventful time arsenic forecast-topping US retail income saw investors standard backmost bets connected Federal Reserve involvement complaint cuts and pushed the dollar higher against the yen and euro.

Adding to downward unit connected the azygous currency was different complaint chopped by the European Central Bank and an denotation that much could beryllium successful the pipeline arsenic ostentation comes down.

Key figures astir 0230 GMT

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent astatine 39,058.32 (break)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.7 percent astatine 20,218.70

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.5 percent astatine 3,183.77

Euro/dollar: UP astatine $1.0837 from $1.0830 connected Thursday

Pound/dollar: UP astatine $1.3022 from $1.3013

Dollar/yen: DOWN astatine 150.00 yen from 150.23 yen

Euro/pound: UP astatine 83.24 pence from 83.22 pence

West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.4 percent astatine $70.98 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.3 percent astatine $74.70 per barrel

New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent astatine 43,239.05 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.7 astatine 8,385.13 points (close)

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Source: AFP

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