Asian shares slip amid mixed Chinese data

Asian shares edged down on Monday, taking little comfort from mixed Chinese trade data, while sterling’s decline after a poll showed rising support for Scottish independence helped bolster the dollar. China’s exports rose more than forecast in August while imports unexpectedly fell, pushing the trade surplus to a record high for the second consecutive month and underlining the challenges of sluggish domestic demand. ‘The Chinese data (strong exports, weak imports) shows that the global economy is recovering while the Chinese economy is showing a weaker than expected recovery,’ Daiwa Securities senior technical analyst Hikaru Sato said. Sterling shed 0.7% to $1.6221 after sliding as low as $1.6165 in early trade, the lowest since last November and the biggest daily drop in eight months, after a poll showed the ‘yes’ to Scottish independence campaign on 51% against 49% for the ‘no’ camp, according to bdlive.com