Asian stocks closed lower on Monday as investors digested the release of a barrage of China economic data, shrugging off the gains seen stateside in the previous session.
Markets in Japan were closed for holiday. Against the yen, the U.S. dollar traded at 112.36.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gained 14.22 points, or 0.1%, to 28,539.66, with property and materials stocks slumping before the market close, although some of those losses were offset by gains in the utilities sector.
In individual movers, telecommunications equipment maker ZTE got a boost after the U.S. removed a ban on the company from purchasing technology from U.S. corporations. Shares of ZTE listed in Hong Kong were up 16.3% while Shenzhen shares closed higher by the daily limit of 10%.
In South Korea, bank stocks declined, weighing on the broader index, but automakers climbed, with Hyundai Motor closing up 2.9%
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged down by 0.43 percent to 6,241.50, with health care among the worst-performing sectors.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 removed 20.6 points, or 0.6%, to 3,472.09, as investors digested the release of a barrage of economic data, including China's second-quarter GDP growth of 6.7% which met expectations. That was a tad below the 6.8% growth seen in the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, shares of Xiaomi fell 2.6% after media reports that Chinese stock exchanges said the connect scheme linking Hong Kong and the mainland would not extend to firms with weighted voting rights structure. That would mean that shares of Xiaomi will not be accessible to investors on the mainland under the connect program.
In other markets
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index slid 27.56 points, or 0.9%, to 3,232.79
In Taiwan, the Taiex index surged 126.16 points, or 1.2%, to 10,864.54
In Korea, the Kospi index deleted 8.91 points, or 0.4%, to 2,301.99
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 ditched 43.88 points, or 0.5%, to 8,980.31
In Australia, the ASX 200 dropped 26.87 points, or 0.4%, to 6,241.52
