Asian Equities Mixed Awaiting China Data

Asian equities started the week mixed on Monday as investors focused on a raft of economic data in China and Japan. Trading volumes were also light with markets in China, South Korea and Taiwan shut until Thursday for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Investors are awaiting China’s August trade report, expected around 10am SIN/HK. According to a Reuters poll, exports likely increased 8 percent from a year ago, slower than July’s 14.5 percent jump, while imports rose 1.7 percent after falling 1.6 percent previously.

Gains on Wall Street late last week helped to cap losses in the region however. The S&P 500 recorded another record finish as investors shrugged off a surprisingly disappointing jobs report. August nonfarm payrolls added 142,000 jobs while the jobless rate declined to 6.1 percent. Economists had expected payrolls growth of 225,000 last month.

CNBC