China's Blue-Chip Stocks Face Steep Declines Amid Deflation Fears

Chinese blue-chip stocks experienced a third consecutive day of losses, driven by disappointing results from beverage and restaurant companies, highlighting deflation risks. Notably, Nongfu Spring and Shanxi Xinghuacun Fen Wine Factory saw significant declines. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index also fell, influenced by a domestic price war and tepid earnings reports.

Chinese blue-chip stocks faced a steep decline for the third consecutive day, underpinned by disappointing interim results from the beverage and restaurant sectors. This has amplified concerns regarding the country's deflationary risks.

Nongfu Spring, the largest bottled water supplier in China, saw its shares plummet by over 10%, following slower profit growth amid a fierce domestic price war. Similarly, leading liquor maker Shanxi Xinghuacun Fen Wine Factory also reported a substantial 60% decline in quarterly earnings, causing a 5.8% drop in its shares and sending the CSI Liquor index down by 3%.

At close, several indices reflected these downturns. The Shanghai Composite index dropped by 0.4%, while the blue-chip CSI300 index fell by 0.57%. The consumer staples, financial, healthcare, and real estate sectors all reported declines. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 1.02%, with significant drops in the financial and IT sectors, as Alibaba Group's shares fell 1%. Meanwhile, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index gained slightly, up by 0.07%.

(With inputs from agencies.)