Asian markets mixed as Japan reports better than expected GDP growth

Japan said its third-quarter GDP had grown 2.2% on-year in the three months ended September.

Japan Flag — The Nikkei witnessed the highest intraday day gain among all Asian indices amid better-than-expected GDP numbers from Japan Reuters

Asian stock market indices were trading mixed on Monday (14 November), with the Shanghai Composite up 0.18% at 3,201.74 as of 6.33am GMT. The Nikkei, however, witnessed the highest intraday gain among all Asian indices amid good gross domestic product (GDP) numbers from Japan.

Japanese third-quarter GDP grew 2.2% on-year in the three months ended September, much better than a Reuters poll estimate of 0.9%. It also marked the third straight quarter of expansion in Japan.

Japan's Economy Minister Nobuteru Ishihara was cited by MarketWatch as saying that the country's economy will continue to recover gradually, amid "improvements in employment and wage conditions".

China also released economic data on Monday that was mixed. On the positive side, it reported better-than-expected fixed-asset investment in the January-to-October period, up 8.3%.

On the negative side, China's industrial output and retail sales in October both missed expectations. While the former increased 6.1%, missing a Reuters poll forecast of 6.2%, retail sales grew 10%, much lower than a Reuters poll estimate of 10.7%.

Elsewhere in the region, stock markets seemed to be under pressure amid Donald Trump's election victory. "The market will remain alert to any news on president-elect Trump's policies and possible appointments. In this regard we may be due for something of a reality check," Ray Attrill, co-head of FX strategy at National Australia Bank, was quoted as saying by CNBC.

Indices in the region were trading as follows at 6.50am GMT:

Country	Index	Price	Up/Down	%Change
Hong Kong	Hang Seng Index	22,221.08	Down	1.38%
Japan	Nikkei 225	17,672.62	Up	1.71%
South Korea	KOSPI	1,974.31	Down	0.51%
India	BSE (Holiday)
Australia	S&P/ASX 200	5,345.70	Down	0.47%

Last week (11 November), the FTSE 100 closed 1.43% lower at 6,730.43, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed higher by 0.21% at 18,847.66.

Among commodities, oil prices were trading mixed after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reported that output per day had increased on-month in October. While Brent Crude was trading higher by 0.04% at $44.77 (£35.69) a barrel, WTI Crude oil was trading 0.18% lower at $43.33 a barrel as of 7am GMT.