The deluge of data releases in China yesterday was keenly watched for the impact that May's re-escalation of trade tensions with the United States would have on its economy.
Although the figures either met or beat expectations, sessions across Asia were mixed.
The Straits Times Index (STI) dropped 9.39 points or 0.3 per cent to close at 3,347.95 after spending most of the session hovering around last Friday's closing.
Among markets in the Asia-Pacific, China and Hong Kong closed higher while Australia, Malaysia and South Korea finished in negative territory. Japanese markets were closed yesterday.
Sentiment has been volatile, with worries over trade tensions and the global economic slowdown preying on investors' minds.
China's gross domestic product (GDP) decelerated to 6.2 per cent in the second quarter from the same period a year ago, despite Beijing's stimulus efforts.
Mr Tom Rafferty, the Economist Intelligence Unit's China principal economist, said: "With GDP growth dipping towards the government's 6 per cent floor, government policy will remain pro-growth over the remainder of this year and into 2020. This will make subsequent policy tightening all the more challenging."
But he noted there were bright spots: China's consumer sector saw "retail sales (in June) helped by the recovery of car sales from a one-year period of contraction".
In Singapore, trading volume clocked in at 1.37 billion securities, 15 per cent over the daily average in the first six months of this year. Total turnover came to $875.59 million, 82 per cent of the January-to-June daily average.
Across the broader market, decliners beat advancers 217 to 200. The benchmark index had 14 of the 30 components closing in the red.
Thai Beverage, down two cents or 2.3 per cent to 84.5 cents, was the benchmark index's most traded stock with 34.6 million shares changing hands.
The food and beverage player's shares saw heavier-than-usual trading following news reports that Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) had cancelled the listing of its Asia-Pacific unit in Hong Kong.
"If AB InBev's Asia-Pacific does end up pulling through to list in the region, it may act as a re-rating catalyst for ThaiBev," said a trader.
Shares of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) fell $0.17 or 6.8 per cent at $2.32. Last Friday, the media and property group posted a 44.1 per cent drop in net profit to $26.2 million for the period ended May 31, despite a marginal decline in operating revenue.
