China stocks were little changed on Friday and ended the week roughly flat as worries about the economy and regulators' crackdown on speculation kept many investors on the sidelines. The bluechip CSI300 index rose 0.1 percent, to 3,205.11, while the Shanghai Composite Index dipped 0.2 percent to 2,976.70 points.
Turnover has been thin recently, as regulators have tightened supervision over speculative trading, while risk appetites have been curbed by few signs of economic recovery and questions about the extent of further stimulus. The real estate sector was in the spotlight on Friday, rising nearly 3 percent as a high-profile battle for control of Chinese developer Vanke saw another twist.
Vanke shares surged 6.5 percent in Shenzhen after announcements that rival China Evergrande Group had bought a nearly 5 percent stake. The news stirred interest in real estate stocks. China Calxon Group, majority owned by Evergrande, surged 10 percent.
A flurry of Chinese data in coming weeks will likely paint a picture of broadly steady growth, Reuters polls show, but tepid demand, slowing investment and rising debt levels remain pressing concerns for the world's second-largest economy. Amid concerns about growing credit risks, China's central bank may be reluctant to cut interest rates or banks' reserve requirements anytime soon unless there are clear signs of a renewed economic downturn, Capital Economics said in a note on Thursday.