Asian stocks were mostly lower as mixed economic data from China highlighted the country’s uneven recovery, while political uncertainty in Europe curbed investors’ appetite for risk.
China’s blue chips retreated as May retail sales beat expectations with an increase of 3.7%. However, industrial production and investment in fixed assets fell short of forecasts.
Further data revealed that house prices in May saw their fastest fall in a decade, highlighting ongoing difficulties in the property sector.
“Plunge” for shares in Japan, with investors now having to wait six weeks for details on the next “steps” of the country’s central bank (BOJ).
In the field of current trading, the Japanese index Nikkei fell 1.93% to 38,104 and Australia’s ASX 200 fell 0.24% to 7,705.60.
A mixed picture in mainland China, as the Shanghai Composite fell 0.47% to 3,018.46, while the Shenzhen Component rose 0.36% to 9,285.45.
In Hong Kong the Hang Seng gained 0.18% to 17,974 points, while in South Korea the Kospi registered losses of 0.49% to 2,744.92 points