02/01/2024 – 5:53
By Sergio Caldas*
São Paulo, 01/02/2024 – Stock exchanges in Asia and the Pacific closed without a single direction in the first trading session of 2024, with the Chinese retreating after contrasting data on manufacturing activity and Australia approaching its record level.
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.43% this Tuesday, to 2,962.28 points, and the less comprehensive Shenzhen Composite index lost 0.76%, to 1,823.85.
Research from S&P Global in partnership with Caixin showed that the Chinese industrial PMI rose marginally between November and December, from 50.7 to 50.8, with a reading above 50 signaling manufacturing expansion for the second consecutive month. China's official survey, on the other hand, showed a drop in the industrial PMI in the same period, from 49.4 to 49, indicating contraction in the sector.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Hang Seng fell 1.52% in Hong Kong, to 16,788.55 points, pressured by shares in developers such as Longfor Group (-7%) and China Resources Land (-5.4%) , and the Taiex fell 0.43% in Taiwan to 17,853.76 points, while the South Korean Kospi rose 0.55% in Seoul to 2,669.81 points.
In Tokyo, there was no business today due to a holiday.
In Oceania, the Australian S&P/ASX 200 index advanced 0.49% in Sydney, to 7,627.80 points, being very close to the historic high reached in August 2021, amid the good performance of oil, mining and bank shares.
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*With information from Dow Jones Newswires
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