The China stock market on Wednesday wrote a finish to the five-day winning streak in which it had advanced almost 50 points or 1.6 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index rests just above the 3,285-point plateau and it may take further damage on Thursday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is mixed to lower ahead of Friday's U.S. jobs report, although crude oil continues to provide support. The European markets were down and the U.S. bourses were mixed and the Asian markets figure to split the difference.
The SCI finished slightly lower on Wednesday as losses from the oil and insurance companies were tempered by support from the financial sector.
For the day, the index shed 7.58 points or 0.23 percent to finish at 3,285.06 after trading between 3,282.04 and 3,305.43. The Shenzhen Composite Index slid 13.15 points or 0.70 percent to end at 1,869.32.
Among the actives, Agricultural Bank of China jumped 1.34 percent, while Industrial and Commercial Bank of China spiked 2.52 percent, Bank of China climbed 2.27 percent, Vanke added 0.68 percent, Gemdale plunged 2.81 percent, PetroChina dropped 1.09 percent, China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) skidded 1.29 percent and China Life tumbled 1.46 percent.
The lead from Wall Street is inconclusive as stocks hovered near the unchanged line before ending on opposite sides of it - although the Dow managed to hit another record close.
The Dow jumped 52.32 points or 0.24 percent to 22,016.24, while the NASDAQ eased 0.29 points or 0.01 percent to 6,362.65 and the S&P added 1.22 points or 0.05 percent to 2,477.57.
Traders seemed reluctant to make significant moves ahead of Friday's monthly jobs report from the Labor Department.
Ahead of that report, payroll processor ADP reported that private sector employment increased by less than expected in July.
Crude oil futures rose Wednesday, holding near $50 a barrel after a smaller-than-expected drop in U.S. oil inventories. WTI light sweet crude oil rose 43 cents or 0.9 percent to $49.59 a barrel. Crude was up 8 percent in July, touching eight-week highs.
Closer to home, China will release July figures for the services and composite indexes from Caixin this morning; in June, their scores were 51.6 and 51.1, respectively.
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Market Analysis
April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.