Investors await Chinese economic data for July

SINGAPORE — Asia-Pacific stocks looked poised for a lower start on Monday as investors await the release of Chinese economic data for July.

Futures pointed to a lower open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 27,860 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 27,830. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 27,977.15. Japan’s GDP data for the second quarter is set to be released at 7:50 a.m. HK/SIN on Monday.

Shares in Australia also looked set to decline, with the SPI futures contract at 7,536.0, against the S&P/ASX 200’s last close at 7,628.90.

South Korea’s markets are closed on Monday for a holiday.

Investor focus on Monday will likely be on the release of a slew of Chinese economic data at 10 a.m. HK/SIN. That includes China’s industrial production and retail sales print for July.

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 92.522 following a recent decline from around the 93 level.

The Japanese yen traded at 109.62 per dollar, following a strengthening late last week from above 110 against the greenback. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7365, above levels below $0.735 seen last week.