Australian shares slipped on Thursday after China, the country's biggest trade partner, reported a host of data that was largely below market expectations, and as metal prices extended losses. China's fixed-asset investment, factory output and retail sales all grew less than expected, reinforcing views that the world's second-largest economy is gradually beginning to lose steam in the face of rising borrowing costs.
Meanwhile, Australia's jobs blew past expectations to surge the most in two years in August, yet unemployment was static as more people looked for work, limiting upward pressure on wages, inflation and interest rates. The S&P/ASX 200 index ended 0.1 percent, or 5.556 points, lower at 5,738.7. It had shed 0.04 percent on Wednesday. Material stocks Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton fell 1.7 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively.
Copper and nickel futures were under pressure from concerns that supplies are mounting, while weaker Chinese steel and iron ore futures also weighed on sentiment. In the healthcare sector, Cochlear Ltd and CSL Ltd dropped 0.8 percent each. On the other hand, the financial sector provided some support to the index, with the big four banks rising slightly. Macquarie Group Ltd climbed 1.2 percent, marking its fourth consecutive session of gains.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia said it issued $3 billion in bonds in the United States, helping the stock to rise ffor a fourth straight session New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.1 percent, or 8.2 points, to 7,819.23 in its third consecutive session of decline.
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