Media365
The Hang Seng Index fell 1.1 per cent to 26,570.11 as of 9.39am local time. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 1 per cent.
On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 0.1 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index was little changed.
China’s statistics bureau was expected to say this morning that the nation’s economic growth slowed to 4.5 per cent in the fourth quarter from 4.8 per cent in the preceding three-month period, according to Bloomberg data. Other quarterly figures on industrial production, retail sales and fixed-asset investment were also due at the same time.
Data released earlier showed that China’s home prices extended declines into December, underscoring the urgency for the government to do more to prevent the downturn.
Other major Asian markets were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 1.4 per cent, while South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.5 per cent and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.5 per cent.
