Stocks in Asia Pacific dipped in Tuesday morning trade, ahead of the release of China’s trade data for June.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 slipped 0.7% in morning trade while the Topix index declined 0.38%. South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.44%.

Shares in Australia also traded lower, with the S&P/ASX 200 down 0.66%.

Over in Southeast Asia, the Straits Times Index in Singapore dipped 0.53% in early trade. Singapore’s economy contracted 12.6% in the second quarter as compared to a year ago, according to advance estimates by the Ministry of Trade and Industry released Tuesday.

Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index traded 0.33% lower.

Investors awaited the release of Chinese trade data for June, expected on Tuesday. The data could provide more clues on China’s economic recovery following the imposition of lockdowns earlier in the year to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Source: CNBC