De asiatiske aktier faldt en smule fredag på grund af kinesiske økonomiske data, der viser en lidt mindre vækst end ventet. Industriproduktionen steg med 4,8 pct. i juli mod forventet 5,1 pct., og detailhandelen faldt med 1,1 pct. Det er dog en markant anden udvikling end i resten af verden. Bilsalget drønede dog i vejret med 12,3 pct., og der er stigninger i investeringerne, også på boligmarkedet.
Uddrag fra Fidelity/Reuters:
Asian shares struggle as Chinese data misses forecasts
Asian shares fell on Friday after lacklustre Chinese economic data and worries about a delay in U.S. fiscal stimulus discouraged some investors from taking on risk.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.14%, although shares in Japan rose 0.11%.
Chinese shares rose 0.18% in choppy trade, but a slower-than-expected rise in industrial production and a surprise fall in retail sales weighed on investor sentiment.
Further equity gains are likely to be limited as investors await progress in negotiations over U.S. economic stimulus, which is necessary to prevent a nascent recovery in the world’s largest economy from sliding into reverse.
The mood was cautious after Chinese retail sales unexpectedly fell in July, suggesting domestic demand is still struggling after the coronavirus outbreak.
China’s recovery had been gathering pace after the pandemic paralysed huge swathes of the economy as pent-up demand, government stimulus and surprisingly resilient exports propel a rebound.
However, the data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday showed weaker-than-expected year-on-year industrial output growth and retail sales extending declines into a seventh straight month in July. That was slightly offset by firmer property investment, which showed recent stimulus was supporting construction activity.
Industrial output grew 4.8% in July from a year earlier, in line with June’s growth but less than forecasts for a 5.1% rise.
Retail sales dropped 1.1% on year, missing predictions for a 0.1% rise and following a 1.8% fall in June.
The decline in retail sales was broad based with garments, cosmetics, home appliances and furniture all worsening from June.
A key exception was auto sales, which surged 12.3%, turning around from a 8.2% fall in June.
INVESTMENT BRIGHT SPOT
Investment, on the other hand, was driven by the fast expansion in the property sector, with analysts expecting infrastructure spending would accelerate in coming months on the back of government support.
China’s economy returned to growth in the second quarter after a deep slump at the start of the year, but unexpected weakness in domestic consumption weighed on momentum.
Infrastructure investment, a powerful driver of growth, fell 1.0% year-on-year, easing from a decline of 2.7% in the first half.