Asia-Pacific stocks set to dip as China’s factory activity expands for the first time in six months
Mt. Fuji and Tokyo skyline, Japan.
Jackyenjoyphotography | Moment | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific stocks look set for a muted open after manufacturing data out of China bounced back to expansion territory.
China’s factory activity in September expanded for the first time in since April, according to official data over the weekend. China’s PMI climbed to 50.2 in September from 49.7, beating Reuters’ expectations of 50.0.
China’s markets are closed for the weeklong Golden Week holiday. South Korean and Hong Kong’s markets are also closed for holidays.
The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 32,050, while its counterpart in Osaka was at 31,800, compared against the Nikkei 225‘s last close at 31,857.62.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.36% in its first hour of trade.
On Friday in the U.S., the three major indexes were mixed. The Dow and S&P 500 finished the session lower by 0.5% and 0.3%, respectively, capping off a negative week for the two indexes. The Nasdaq Composite finished up 0.1%.
Over the weekend, U.S. legislators were able to reach a temporary agreement that averted a government shutdown.
— CNBC’s Alex Harring contributed to this report.
