FX.co ★ China Stocks Gain Despite Soft Data

On Friday, the Shanghai Composite edged up by 0.1% to approximately 3,670 points, and the Shenzhen Component rose by 0.7% to 11,530 points. This recovery followed a decline in the previous session, in spite of a series of economic reports that fell short of expectations. In July, China's industrial production increased by 5.7%, marking a slowdown from June's 6.8% rise and missing the projected 5.9%. Retail sales grew by 3.7%, following a June rise of 4.8%, landing well below the anticipated 4.6% increase. Nevertheless, mainland equities have attracted renewed buying interest recently, with margin financing surpassing 2 trillion yuan, a level previously reached during the 2015 bull market. Investor sentiment remains positive, fueled by hopes of additional stimulus measures from Beijing to bolster growth and counteract pressures from US tariffs. Among the top performers were East Money, which gained 3%, Wolong Electric with a 9.6% increase, China CSSC rising by 1.6%, Hengbao Co up by 7.4%, and Foxconn Industrial, which advanced 3.5%.