One of Australia's biggest private credit lenders suspended trading of three of its ASX-listed funds on Monday and said it would mark down their asset values after auditors disagreed with assumptions used in ‌preliminary financial reports.

Australia's top gold producer Northern Star Resources said it rejected an unsolicited A$38.7 billion ($27.1 billion) takeover ‌proposal from South Africa's Gold Fields , the latest sign of consolidation pressure in the gold sector.

China's industrial profit growth slowed further in August as strength in technology manufacturing amid the AI boom was outweighed by persistently weak domestic ‌demand.

A key gauge of Japan's service-sector inflation rose in August at the fastest annual pace in more than ‌two years, data showed on Monday, highlighting mounting price pressures that will keep the central bank on track for further interest rate hikes.