Most of the Asian indices recorded an end at the beginning of the last week of July.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.12%, while the Topix rose 0.87%. The Kospi advanced by 0.44%, while the small-cap Kosdaq was higher by 1.71%. Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.17%. The Hang Seng index rose 0.81%, while China’s CSI 300 gained 0.25%.
Easing tensions in the Middle East pushed international benchmark Brent crude futures for September delivery down 4.88% to around $92 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell more than 5% to $84.84 a barrel.
Tensions rose elsewhere after Ukraine attacked an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea, prompting Tehran to accuse Kiev of a “hostile and criminal act”.
China’s industrial profits rose 15.1% in June from a year earlier, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday, slowing for the second straight month, SEEbiz reports.
The June figure continued a two-month slowdown, after May’s 21.1% rise marked the first slowdown since November.
Shares of chipmaker Changxin Technology Group surged about 470% on Monday after debuting on Shanghai’s tech-advanced STAR market, making CXMT the most valuable firm listed on the Chinese stock exchange.
The Hefei-based firm raised 57.92 billion yuan ($8.6 billion) after pricing its initial public offering at 8.66 yuan per share, making it Asia’s largest so far this year.
In the first half of this year, profits grew by 18.7%, slowing down from the 18.8% pace recorded in the period from January to May.
