Investing.com - Asian shares were mixed on Tuesday after a slew of Chinese data that showed solid gains for retails sales and industrial output.
The Shanghai Composite added 0.2%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped 0.1%. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.2%, as investors shrugged off a weakening yen
South Korea's Kospi fell 0.4%, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.1%.
Retail sales in China rose 13.7% in November from a year earlier, accelerating from a 13.3% on-year increase in October, and industrial output rose 10.0% in November from a year earlier, slowing from a 10.3% on-year increase in October, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.
The figures set the tone for the region with China demand and output closely watched for any signs of slowdown that could knock-on to neighbors such as South Korea and Japan as well as Australia - all of which see China as crucial to exports.
Overnight, U.S. stocks rose amid optimism for a more robust U.S. economy down the road though uncertainty as to how stocks will react to an eventual Federal Reserve decision to wind down stimulus tools capped gains.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.03%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.18%, while the Nasdaq Composite index rose 0.15%.
Data released last week continued to boost stock prices Monday by fanning hopes for a more robust U.S. economy down the road.
The Department of Labor Friday that the U.S. economy added 203,000 jobs in November, beating expectations for an 180,000 increase and up from a downwardly revised 200,000 rise the previous month.
The report also said the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.0% in November, from 7.3% in October, beating expectations for a downtick to 7.2%.
Earlier Monday, Fed St. Louis President James Bullard said the chances of a Fed decision to taper asset purchases are growing now that the labor market has shown improvement.
“A small taper might recognize labor market improvement while still providing the Committee the opportunity to carefully monitor inflation during the first half of 2014,” Bullard said in prepared remarks of a speech he delivered earlier.
“Should inflation not return toward target, the Committee could pause tapering at subsequent meetings.”
Many investors expect tapering to begin early in 2014, though some have not ruled out the possibility of a start date beginning at the Fed's Dec. 17-18 policy meeting.
European indices, meanwhile, finished higher on Monday.
After the close of European trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.40%, France's CAC 40 rose 0.11%, while Germany's DAX 30 rose 0.25%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 finished up 0.11%.
The Shanghai Composite added 0.2%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped 0.1%. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.2%, as investors shrugged off a weakening yen
South Korea's Kospi fell 0.4%, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.1%.
Retail sales in China rose 13.7% in November from a year earlier, accelerating from a 13.3% on-year increase in October, and industrial output rose 10.0% in November from a year earlier, slowing from a 10.3% on-year increase in October, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.
The figures set the tone for the region with China demand and output closely watched for any signs of slowdown that could knock-on to neighbors such as South Korea and Japan as well as Australia - all of which see China as crucial to exports.
Overnight, U.S. stocks rose amid optimism for a more robust U.S. economy down the road though uncertainty as to how stocks will react to an eventual Federal Reserve decision to wind down stimulus tools capped gains.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.03%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.18%, while the Nasdaq Composite index rose 0.15%.
Data released last week continued to boost stock prices Monday by fanning hopes for a more robust U.S. economy down the road.
The Department of Labor Friday that the U.S. economy added 203,000 jobs in November, beating expectations for an 180,000 increase and up from a downwardly revised 200,000 rise the previous month.
The report also said the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.0% in November, from 7.3% in October, beating expectations for a downtick to 7.2%.
Earlier Monday, Fed St. Louis President James Bullard said the chances of a Fed decision to taper asset purchases are growing now that the labor market has shown improvement.
“A small taper might recognize labor market improvement while still providing the Committee the opportunity to carefully monitor inflation during the first half of 2014,” Bullard said in prepared remarks of a speech he delivered earlier.
“Should inflation not return toward target, the Committee could pause tapering at subsequent meetings.”
Many investors expect tapering to begin early in 2014, though some have not ruled out the possibility of a start date beginning at the Fed's Dec. 17-18 policy meeting.
European indices, meanwhile, finished higher on Monday.
After the close of European trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.40%, France's CAC 40 rose 0.11%, while Germany's DAX 30 rose 0.25%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 finished up 0.11%.