Asian stock markets traded mixed Thursday, with investors concerned that the U.S could be headed into a recession while China reported stronger factory activity in June.
The Nikkei in Tokyo fell 1.3% after June industrial production slumped 7.2% compared with the previous month. That was the sharpest decline since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 0.1%.
The Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.3%. The monthly purchasing managers’ index released by the national statistics bureau and an industry group rose to 50.2 from May’s 49.6 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 indicate activity increasing.
Elsewhere:
The Kospi in Seoul shed 1%
Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.4%
Benchmark indexes in Singapore and Taiwan declined
Stocks rose in Indonesia