China’s Shenzhen stocks rise as data shows factory activity grew in June; Asia stocks slip

SINGAPORE — Chinese markets rose on Thursday as government data showed factory activity grew in June, but most other Asia-Pacific indexes fell.

The Shenzhen Component jumped more than 2% earlier in the session but gave up some of those gains to rise 1.573% to close at 12,896.2, and the Shanghai Composite advanced 1.10% to 3,398.62.

The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong declined 0.57% in the final hour of trade, and the Hang Seng Tech index fell 1.46%. Shares of artificial intelligence software company SenseTime plunged as much as 50.5% on Thursday after a six-month lock-up period for some of its shares ended. The stock was last 47.79% lower in the late afternoon.

The Nikkei 225 in Japan dropped 1.54% to close at 26,393.04 while the Topix slipped 1.2% to1,870.82.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.97% to 6,568.1.

South Korea’s Kospi declined 1.91% to 2,332.64, while the Kosdaq was 2.22% lower at 745.44.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares was down 1.14%.

In economic news, China’s official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index for June was at 50.2, slightly lower than the expected 50.5, according to a Reuters poll.

The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis, and the index has been under 50 since March.

South Korea’s factory output grew mildly in May, government data showed. Industrial production increased 0.1% from April’s figure. Service sector output grew 1.1% in May.

Japan’s industrial production dropped 7.2% in May, according to government data. That figure was much lower than market consensus and could have been affected by lockdowns in China, Rob Carnell, ING’s regional head of research in Asia-Pacific, wrote in a Thursday note.

In corporate news, Toyota Motor missed its monthly production target in May for the third month in a row, Reuters reported. The company’s shares were down 1.32% on Thursday.

Overnight in the U.S., stocks fluctuated on Wednesday after the major averages made a failed attempt at a bounce in the previous session, and as the market prepares to close out the worst first half of the year since 1970.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the session up 82.32 points, or 0.27%, to 31,029.31, while the other benchmarks closed slightly lower. The S&P 500 dipped 0.07% to 3,818.83, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite edged down by 0.03% to 11,177.89.

Rate hikes, recession fears and inflation concerns have plagued the market.

ANZ Research in a Thursday note said markets have been “cautious and lacking strong conviction” as central bankers say they will prioritize tackling inflation.

“The bottom line is that until the inflation data show a sustainable moderation, it remains risky to jump on softer economic data and declare that the peak in central bank interest rates for this cycle has been priced in,” the note said.