Asia holds firm as Chinese growth slows to 7.5%

Asian stock markets finished Monday's session firmer as the latest growth figures from China matched forecasts.

The world's second largest economy showed further signs it is cooling off, with growth falling to 7.5% in the second quarter, but investors remained positive, with shares across Asia ending the session higher after the growth figure met expectations. The Japanese Nikkei finished up 0.2%, while China's main index - the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 - closed up 1.2%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng also finished up marginally, as investors breathed a sigh of relief that any growth shock had been avoided. Asian markets - and in particular China - have come under increasing pressure this year, racking ...