From China came on Monday new retail sales figures for August, which showed an increase of 3.4 percent on an annual basis. Market analysts' expectations were, according to CNBC, on average 3.7 percent.
At the same time, production in the country's factories and mines increased by 5.2 percent during the month, also on an annual basis, which was the weakest figure in a year.
However, the lukewarm figures did not seem to affect the country's stock exchanges. The Shanghai composite index was at lunchtime up just 0.2 percent, while Shenzhen increased by 0.9 percent. The Hong Kong-based Hang Seng rose by 0.5 percent.
The stock market is also doing well in South Korea. Kospi reached a new record level during the initial trading. Before lunch, the stock market was up 0.4 percent. As an explanation for the increase, it is mentioned that the government is scrapping its plan to raise the tax on shares.
The Japanese stock market was closed on Monday due to a public holiday.
