The pan-European Stoxx 600 edged 0.2% higher at the opening bell, basic resources leading gains with a 0.8% rise while food and beverage stocks slipped 0.6%.

Traders kept a close watch on the latest economic figures out of China. The country posted second-quarter figures on Monday that showed its economy grew 6.2% in the second-quarter, at its slowest pace in 27years.

Still, China’s GDP (gross domestic product) growth was in line with expectations, and data for industrial production, retail sales and fixed-asset investment came in above analyst expectations.

· Asian shares advanced on Monday as investors breathed a sigh of relief after encouraging Chinese data suggested the world’s second-biggest economy may be starting to stabilize thanks to ramped-up stimulus from Beijing.

Second quarter economic growth slowed to 6.2% in the second quarter from a year earlier, the weakest pace in at least 27 years while separate data showed the country’s industrial output and retail sales handily topped forecasts.

The promising monthly activity data suggested a flurry of stimulus measures from China have been able to prop-up domestic activity and offset some of the damage from a protracted trade war with the United States, analysts said.

Equity markets were choppy in the wake of the Chinese data as some expected Beijing might temper further stimulus.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gave up losses to be 0.2% higher at 526.72 points. It fell a little more than 1% last week, snapping five straight weeks of gains.

Trading was expected to be light as Japan was shut for a public holiday.

· Chinese shares closed firmer on Monday as China’s upbeat retail sales and factory output numbers pointed to some stabilization, with second-quarter economic data meeting expectations, while technology shares rebounded from previous week’s sharp declines.

At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.4% at 2,942.19.

The blue-chip CSI300 index climbed 0.41%, with its financial sector sub-index ending up 0.17%, the consumer staples sector closing 0.07% higher, the real estate index down 0.11% and the healthcare sub-index up 0.35%.

Reference: CNBC, Reuters