Asian markets close Monday mostly with gains

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) – Stock markets in Asia ended Monday mostly with gains following strong economic data from China.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, rose 25.2 points, or 0.64%, to close at nearly 3,942 points.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock exchange increased 166.8 points, or 0.56%, to 29,776.

The Japanese economy contracted 3% year-on-year in the third quarter – transgressing the expected figure of 0.8%, Monday's data showed.

The country's gross domestic product (GDP) also shrank by 0.8% quarter-on-quarter amid COVID-19 restrictions and global chip supply shortages.

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, climbed 62.9 points, or 0.25%, to 25,390.

China’s Shanghai stock exchange was the sole index on negative territory, falling 5.8 points, or 0.16%, to 3,533 points.

Retail sales in China rose 4.9% in October and industrial production went up by 3.5%, both above market forecast.

The Indian Sensex benchmark climbed 81.2 points, or 0.13%, to 60,768, while the Singapore index was up 6.22 points, or 0.19%, to 3,234.