SINGAPORE — Stocks in Asia-Pacific saw muted moves in Monday trade as investors digested the release of China’s official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for November.
China’s National Bureau of Statistics announced Monday that the official manufacturing PMI for November was at 52.1. That was above expectations for a 51.5 reading forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll.
PMI readings above 50 signify expansion while those below that level represent contraction. PMI readings are sequential and show month-on-month expansion or contraction.
Monday’s data release represented the ninth straight month of expansion for Chinese manufacturing recovery as the country continues to see a strong bounce from the coronavirus pandemic.
Mainland Chinese stocks were higher in early trade, with the Shanghai composite up 0.83% while the Shenzhen component added 0.343%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dipped 0.28%. Shares of HSBC listed in the city shed more than 0.5% following a Financial Times report that the bank is considering an exit from U.S. retail banking.
Markets muted
Markets elsewhere in the region were little changed in the morning.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 sat below the flatline while the Topix index dipped 0.56%.
Japan’s retail sales rose 6.4% year-on-year in October, according to a preliminary report by the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The data was in line with a median market forecast, according to Reuters.
South Korea’s Kospi was 0.2% lower.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia edged lower, as the S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.76%.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.08% lower.
Markets in India are closed on Monday for a holiday.
Trade frictions between Washington and Beijing may also have weighed on investor sentiment on Monday. Reuters reported, citing sources, that the Trump administration is set to add China’s top chipmaker SMIC and oil and gas producer CNOOC to a defense blacklist.
Oil prices slip
Oil prices declined in the morning of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures down about 1% to $47.67 per barrel. U.S. crude futures also shed 0.75% to $45.19 per barrel.
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 91.692 after following a decline in recent days from levels above 92.
The Japanese yen traded at 103.87 per dollar after strengthening from levels above 104.4 against the greenback last week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7397, having risen from levels below $0.732 in the previous week.
Source: CNBC