China, HK stocks mixed on uneven recovery trends in Q1 growth data

HONG KONG, April 18 (Reuters) - China and Hong Kong shares were mixed on Tuesday and traded in a narrow range, as the country reported higher-than-expected first-quarter growth but some data pointed towards uneven recovery trends.

** China's blue-chip CSI 300 Index ended 0.3% higher, while the Shanghai Composite Index edged up 0.23%.

** The Hang Seng Index, however, lost 0.63% while Hang Seng China Enterprises Index slipped 0.75%.

** China's economy grew 4.5% year-on-year in the first three months of the year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Tuesday, faster than the 2.9% reported in the previous quarter and beating analysts' forecasts of a 4% expansion.

** Industrial output rose 3.9% in March year-on-year, accelerating from a 2.4% increase in the first two months but missing expectations slightly.

** "The better-than-expected economic data shatters worries for a weak recovery, but it's not showing a strong recovery either," said Tao Chuan, chief macro analyst at Soochow Securities in Beijing.

** Consumption is strong hinting at rising demand, but there are also some structural problems, Tao added.

** Property investment fell 5.8% from a year earlier in the first three months of 2023, from a 5.7% decline in January-February.

** The data is mixed, said Pang Xichun, research director at Nanjing RiskHunt Investment Management Co.

** "The market is disappointed as property investment fell in the first quarter, which is a surprise after many property policies (that were) rolled out in the past year, while housing sales have rebounded."

** Property investment is a lagging indicator and the China property market has turned a corner, although the road ahead could be long and filled with bumps, said David Chao, global market strategist, Asia Pacific (ex-Japan), Invesco.

** Hong Kong-listed mainland property firms dove 1.4%, while tech giants declined 1.2%.

** In China A-shares, insurance companies and telecom stocks led the gains, rising 3.1% and 1%, respectively. (Reporting by Summer Zhen; editing by Uttaresh Venkateshwaran and Rashmi Aich)