Bitcoin, Kospi and Nasdaq Futures Rise as China GDP Surpasses Forecasts

Bitcoin, Nasdaq futures and Asian equity markets advanced on Monday as stronger-than-expected Chinese economic data and declining oil prices boosted investor confidence and encouraged risk-taking.

Global markets started the week largely higher, with positive growth figures from China and cheaper oil helping improve sentiment across risk assets.

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, traded near $83,000 during early European trading, gaining 1% since midnight UTC and 1.60% over the previous 24 hours. Nasdaq futures climbed more than 1%, while Japan’s Nikkei advanced 1.8% and South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6%. The markets had suffered significant losses the previous week, particularly among artificial intelligence-related stocks.

Chinese equities also moved higher, rising 0.3%. Gold remained relatively stable around $4,180, while the U.S. Dollar Index stayed near Friday’s lows, below 102.

China’s economy expanded 4.5% year over year in the third quarter, according to figures released Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics. Growth accelerated from the 4.3% recorded in the second quarter. Additional indicators suggested improving consumer demand, with retail sales increasing 1.1%. That exceeded expectations for 0.5% growth and compared with the previous month’s 0.4% increase.

As the world’s second-largest economy, a major manufacturing hub and a significant buyer of industrial commodities, China plays an important role in global markets. Stronger-than-anticipated economic figures can improve investor confidence and encourage greater exposure to risk-sensitive assets.

The market recovery also follows a pattern in which the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) often retreats toward normal levels after sharp increases on Fridays, a development that has historically coincided with more stable equity trading.

Oil prices declined in both U.S. and European markets, giving back some of the previous week’s gains. Reuters linked the drop to expectations that a waiver granted by U.S. President Donald Trump concerning Russia would help increase oil supplies. However, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to pose risks.

Lower oil prices could help reduce inflationary pressures and give the Federal Reserve more room to consider interest-rate cuts. At the time of writing, markets expected the central bank to leave its benchmark rate unchanged within the 4.75%–5% range this month, following a 25-basis-point increase last month.