Asian shares edged up on Monday in cautious trade, brushing off soft economic data from China, as investors looked to whether the U.S. Federal Reserve is confident enough to raise interest rates for the first time in a decade.
U.S. stock futures ESc1 rose 0.4 percent from late U.S. levels in early Asian trade while Japan’s Nikkei .N225 rose 0.4 percent. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS gained 0.3 percent.
Data published at the weekend showed growth in China’s investment and factory output missed forecasts in August, raising the chances that China’s third-quarter economic growth may dip below 7 percent for the first time since the global crisis.
The data add to expectations that Beijing will respond with more measures to prop up the economy.
