Investing.com - Ahead of the European Central Bank meeting later today, most Asian stocks traded lower Thursday as traders digested a batch of regional economic data.
In Asian trading Thursday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid 1.15% as USD/JPY traded lower after Japan reported stronger-than-expected December machinery orders. Japan’s core machinery orders for December climbed 2.8%, easily topping the consensus estimate calling for an increase of 0.7%. That comes on the heels of a 3.9% increase in November and is good for the third consecutive month of higher machinery orders.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped by 0.44% while the Shanghai Composite shed 1.31%. China, the world’s second-largest economy behind the U.S., is scheduled to unveil inflation and trade data on Friday.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index added 0.3% after the country’s statistics bureau said the number of employed Australians rose by 10,400 in January following a December decrease of 3,800. The December number was revised for the better. Analysts expected the January reading to show an increase of 6,000.
Full-time jobs fell by 9,800 while part-time jobs jumped by 20,200. The employment data arrived a day after official data showed that retail sales in Australia fell 0.2% in December, disappointing expectations for a 0.3% rise, after a 0.2% decline the previous month.
Australia now has an unemployment rate of 5.4%, though analysts had expected an increase to 5.5%.
New Zealand’s NZSE 50 fell 0.4% after Statistics New Zealand said employment there fell by 1%, or 23,000 jobs, in the fourth quarter. New Zealand’s unemployment rate fell to 6.9% from 7.3% due to fewer folks seeking employment.
Analysts expected the employment rate there to rise by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. The unemployment rate of 6.9% is New Zealand’s lowest in eight years. Youth unemployment rose to 14.2%. That figure includes those ages 15 to 24.
Elsewhere, South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.14% while Singapore’s Straits Times Index lost 0.58%. S&P 500 futures gave up 0.05%.
In Asian trading Thursday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid 1.15% as USD/JPY traded lower after Japan reported stronger-than-expected December machinery orders. Japan’s core machinery orders for December climbed 2.8%, easily topping the consensus estimate calling for an increase of 0.7%. That comes on the heels of a 3.9% increase in November and is good for the third consecutive month of higher machinery orders.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped by 0.44% while the Shanghai Composite shed 1.31%. China, the world’s second-largest economy behind the U.S., is scheduled to unveil inflation and trade data on Friday.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index added 0.3% after the country’s statistics bureau said the number of employed Australians rose by 10,400 in January following a December decrease of 3,800. The December number was revised for the better. Analysts expected the January reading to show an increase of 6,000.
Full-time jobs fell by 9,800 while part-time jobs jumped by 20,200. The employment data arrived a day after official data showed that retail sales in Australia fell 0.2% in December, disappointing expectations for a 0.3% rise, after a 0.2% decline the previous month.
Australia now has an unemployment rate of 5.4%, though analysts had expected an increase to 5.5%.
New Zealand’s NZSE 50 fell 0.4% after Statistics New Zealand said employment there fell by 1%, or 23,000 jobs, in the fourth quarter. New Zealand’s unemployment rate fell to 6.9% from 7.3% due to fewer folks seeking employment.
Analysts expected the employment rate there to rise by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. The unemployment rate of 6.9% is New Zealand’s lowest in eight years. Youth unemployment rose to 14.2%. That figure includes those ages 15 to 24.
Elsewhere, South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.14% while Singapore’s Straits Times Index lost 0.58%. S&P 500 futures gave up 0.05%.