On Tuesday morning (15 July, 9:16 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), indices in Asia Pacific exhibited an upward trend as market participants assessed key data from China.
The world’s second-largest economy grew by 5.2% year-on-year in the second quarter, edging past economists’ forecasts from a Reuters survey, which anticipated a 5.1% gain. However, the pace of expansion slowed from the 5.4% growth recorded in the previous quarter.
China’s economic expansion was weighed down by ongoing trade frictions with the U.S., persistent deflation, and a prolonged slump in the real estate sector. These challenges have heightened calls for policymakers in Beijing to adopt stronger measures to support the country’s growth trajectory.
Meanwhile, retail sales rose 4.8% year-on-year in June, marking a slowdown from May’s 6.4% growth and falling short of the 5.4% projected by economists surveyed by Reuters. Industrial production in the same period outpaced expectations with a 6.8% increase, above the forecasted 5.7%.
Fixed asset investment in the first six months of 2025 climbed 2.8%, lagging behind the 3.6% consensus estimate, and the urban unemployment rate in June held steady at 5%, after peaking at a two-year high of 5.4% in February.
Japan’s NIKKEI rose by 0.37% to 39,604.45. South Korea’s KOSPI grew by 0.32% to 3,212.27, and Australia’s ASX 200 increased by 0.51% to 8,614.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC climbed by 0.04% to 3,521.08. Hong Kong’s HSI soared by 1.43% to 24,549.01, and Shenzhen’s SZI surged by 0.84% to 10,773.7.
The U.S. stock markets edged up on Monday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) expanded by 0.2% to 44,459.65. NASDAQ escalated by 0.27% to 20,640.33, and S&P 500 gained 0.14% to 6,268.56. VIX jumped by 4.88% to 17.2.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Monday as traders digested fresh warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding potential sanctions on purchasers of Russian crude—measures that could disrupt global supply routes. At the same time, concerns lingered over the impact of Trump’s tariff policies, adding to investor uncertainty. Brent futures lost $1.15 or 1.63% to $69.21 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) declined $1.47 or 2.15% to $66.98 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures slid 17 cents or 0.25% to $69.04 a barrel, and the WTI futures dropped 21 cents or 0.31% to $66.77 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures dipped by 0.11% to $3,355.4 per Troy ounce.
