Asia-Pacific markets were mixed as China’s economy grew more than expected at 4.5% year-on-year, beating estimates to see growth of 4% in a Reuters poll. The onshore Chinese yuan slightly strengthened following the report.
The Shanghai Composite reversed earlier losses and closed 0.23% up, while the Shenzhen Component climbed 0.04%. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index
declined 0.77% as consumer cyclicals and technology dragged down the index.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200
fell 0.29% to end the day at 7,360.2, while South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.19% to close at 2,571.09 and the Kosdaq ended the day marginally down at 909.02.
Japanese markets bucked the trend in the region, with the Nikkei 225
closing up 0.51% at 28,658.83, posting its eight straight day of gains and the Topix gaining 0.69% to end at 2,040.89 as financials and healthcare led the index.
Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes rose as traders combed through the latest batch of corporate earnings results, searching for clues on the health of corporate America.
The S&P 500 rose 0.33%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.28% to settle at 12,157.72.