Chinese shares finished mixed and muted on Monday as strong industrial production numbers and an acceleration in retail sales growth were tempered by an increase in the unemployment rate.
The Shanghai Composite Index, the main gauge of Chinese stocks, rose 0.2% to 3,426.13. The Shenzhen Component Index declined 0.2% to 10,957.82.
China's industrial production for the first two months grew 5.9% year on year, beating the 5.3% growth predicted by analysts surveyed by Reuters.
Retail sales increased 4% to 8.373 trillion yuan for January and February, in line with estimates from analysts polled by Reuters.
However, China's unemployment rate rose year on year to 5.4% in February from the previous month's 5.2%. For the first two months of 2025, the country's unemployment rate averaged 5.3%.
In company news, Contemporary Amperex Technology (SHE:300750) posted 2024 net profit attributable to shareholders of 50.7 billion yuan, up 15% from 44.1 billion yuan the previous year.
While earnings per share climbed to 11.58 yuan from 10.05 yuan, the ltest figure missed analysts' 11.76 yuan forecast compiled by FactSet. Revenue slumped 9.7% to 362.0 billion yuan from 400.9 billion yuan, also missing the FactSet estimate of 370 billion yuan.
Shares of the battery maker slumped 2% on Monday.
