Mainland Chinese stocks nudged higher on the day as the Shanghai composite climbed 0.32% to 3,591.40 while the Shenzhen component was marginally higher at 14,718.40. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dipped about 0.1%, as of its final hour of trading.
On the economic data front, official data released Thursday showed China’s producer price index for May jumped 9% from a year earlier, against expectations in a Reuters poll for a 8.5% increase. The country’s consumer price index in May rose 1.3% from a year earlier, lower than an expected 1.6% rise in a Reuters poll.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 shed 0.35% to close at 28,860.80 while the Topix index dipped 0.28% to end the trading day at 1,957.14.
South Korea’s Kospi also declined 0.97% to close at 3,216.18. The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia fell 0.31% on the day to 7,270.20.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside of Japan slipped 0.29%.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 hovered around the flatline in early deals, with travel and leisure stocks adding 0.5% while basic resources fell 0.5%.
The quiet open for European markets reflects cautious sentiment ahead of the latest inflation data from the U.S., which could lead the Federal Reserve to taper asset purchases sooner rather than later.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
Thai
Eng