SINGAPORE – Shares in Asia-Pacific fell mostly in Tuesday morning trading, as data showed a slowdown in growth in Chinese factories activity in August.
In mainland China, the Shanghai compound fell 0.28%, while the Shenzhen component fell 0.236%.
China’s factory activity grew at a slower pace in August compared to the previous month, data released on Tuesday showed. The official index of manufacturing purchasing managers in August reached 50.1, compared to the reading of 50.4 in July.
PMI readings above 50 represent an expansion, while those below this level indicate contraction. PMI readings are sequential and represent monthly expansions or contractions.
Shares in Hong Kong of Tencent and Netease fell 1.98% and 3.87%, respectively, in Tuesday morning trading. This came after new rules released Monday by China’s National Press and Publications Administration showed plans to limit the time children under 18 spend on video games to just three hours a week.
Hong Kong’s broadest Hang Seng index fell 0.5%.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.1%, while the Topix index fell 0.27%. Kospi, South Korea, fell 0.15%.
Elsewhere, the S & P / ASX 200 in Australia outperformed as it increased 0.17% more.
MSCI’s broader Asia-Pacific stock index outside of Japan traded 0.33% lower.
Overnight in the state, the S&P 500 rose 0.43% to 4,528.79, while the Nasdaq Composite, with a lot of technology, gained 0.9% to 15,265 , 89. The Dow Jones industrial average lagged behind by 55.96 points to 35,399.84.
Coins and oils
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket from its peers, stood at 92.666 after falling last week above 93.0.
The Japanese yen was trading at 109.86 per dollar, weaker than the levels below 109.8 seen yesterday against the green dollar. The Australian dollar stood at $ 0.7297, largely keeping gains after rising below $ 0.72 last week.
Oil prices were lower in the morning of business hours in Asia, with an international benchmark future on Brent crude falling 0.56% to $ 73 a barrel. US crude oil futures fell 0.53% to $ 68.84 a barrel.
– CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal and Lauren Feiner contributed to this report.