Afternoon update: ASX up 0.18%: China’s offical manufacturing index falls

The S&P/ASX 200 is trading 0.18 per cent higher at 6,785.30.

Futures

The SPI futures are up 12 points.

Best and worst performers

The best-performing sector is REITs, up 1.56 per cent. The worst-performing sector is Materials, down 1.09 per cent.

The best-performing large cap is Qantas Airways (ASX:QAN), trading 3.13 per cent higher at $4.95. It is followed by shares in Seven Group Holdings (ASX:SVW) and Whitehaven Coal (ASX:WHC).

The worst-performing large cap is Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS), trading 3.93 per cent lower at $3.67. It is followed by shares in Allkem (ASX:AKE) and Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN).

Asian markets

In October, China's official manufacturing purchasing managers index fell to 49.5 from September's 50.2, signifying a return to contraction, while the non-manufacturing sector, represented by a gauge that decreased from 51.7 to 50.6, exhibited an unexpected easing in its expansion. These results underscore the fragility of China's economy and the potential requirement for further economic support measures.

Japan's Nikkei has lost -0.15 per cent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng has lost -1.15 per cent.
China's Shanghai Composite has lost -0.32 per cent.

Commodities and the dollar

Gold is trading at US$2,004.80 an ounce.
Light crude is trading $0.30 higher at US$82.61 a barrel.
One Australian dollar is buying 63.57 US cents.
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Source: Finance News Network