Mumbai, May 18 -- Chinese stocks ended slightly lower on Monday as a fresh batch of weak economic data pointed to slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy. The Shanghai Composite fell 0.09% to close at 4,132, while the Shenzhen Component lost 0.2%.

Investors reacted to softer readings across key sectors. New home prices in 70 major cities dropped 3.5% from a year earlier in April, while fixed-asset investment fell 1.6% in the first four months of 2026. Retail sales grew just 0.2%, marking the weakest pace since December 2022, and industrial production slowed to 4.1%, its weakest growth since July 2023.

The only positive sign came from the urban unemployment rate, which eased to 5.2%, the lowest level in three months. The ove...