Taiwan's economic growth accelerated more than initially estimated in the first quarter. Gross domestic product, or GDP, advanced 14.55 percent year-on-year in the March quarter, faster than the revised 12.95 percent increase in the December quarter. On the demand side, real exports of goods and services grew by 35.76 percent, driven by the strong external demand of AI and related infrastructure.
Japan's housing starts grew notably in April, registering their first decline in six months. Housing starts grew 11.4 percent yearly in April, reversing a 29.3 percent slump in March. However, this was slowed than the 15.5 percent recovery expected by economists. Increases were seen in all segments, except issued ones, which fell markedly by 79.1 percent.
Japan's consumer sentiment improved in May to the highest level in three months. The seasonally adjusted consumer confidence index rose to 33.6 in May from 32.2 in April. The expected score was 32.0. The sub-index measuring overall livelihood strengthened by 3.0 points to 31.2 in May. Similarly, the index for the willingness to buy durable goods increased to 24.4 from 23.2.
Industrial production in Japan was up a seasonally adjusted 0.8 percent on month in April, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday. That beat forecasts for a decline of 0.4 percent, which would have been unchanged from the March reading. On a yearly basis, industrial output was...
Industrial production in South Korea was down a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent on month in April, Statistics Korea said on Friday. That missed expectations for an increase of 0.3 percent and was down from 0.6 percent in March. On a yearly basis, industrial production climbed 1.5 percent - again...
Japan is scheduled to release a raft of data on Friday, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are April figures for unemployment, industrial production, retail sales, housing starts and construction orders, plus May figures for Tokyo inflation. In March, the jobless rate...
Hong Kong's trade deficit increased notably in April from a year ago as imports grew faster than exports. The trade shortfall rose to HK$29.5 billion in April from HK$16.0 billion in the same month last year. Meanwhile, the deficit narrowed sharply from HK$89.1 billion in March. The annual growth in exports was 42.9 percent in April, and imports surged by 44.4 percent.
The Bank of Korea left its interest rate unchanged on Thursday but kept the door open for rate hikes as both inflation and economic growth forecasts exceed previous projections. At the first meeting of Shin Hyun Song as governor, the policy board decided to hold the base rate at 2.50 percent.
The Bank of Korea will wrap up its monetary policy meeting on Thursday and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The BoK is expected to keep its benchmark lending rate unchanged at 2.50 percent. Australia will release Q1 data for...
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand maintained its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday and signalled rate hikes at coming meetings. The Monetary Policy Committee, governed by Anna Breman, voted to hold the Official Cash Rate at 2.25 percent. The bank has lowered its benchmark rate by 325 basis points since August 2024, bringing it to the lowest since mid-2022.
Producer prices in Japan were up 3.0 percent on year in April, the Bank of Japan said on Wednesday - beneath expectations for 3.3 percent, which would have been unchanged from the March reading. On a monthly basis, producer prices were up 0.5 percent - slowing from 1.3 percent in the previous month. Excluding...
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will wrap up its monetary policy meeting on Wednesday and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The RBNZ is expected to keep its Official Cash Rate steady at 2.25 percent. Australia will release Q1...
Taiwan's industrial production growth moderated in April, while retail sales increased for the third straight month. Industrial production advanced 14.2 percent year-on-year in April, much slower than the 26.1 percent surge in March. The annual growth in manufacturing output eased to 15.1 percent from 28.0 percent. Retail sales climbed 5.2 percent yearly in April.
Singapore's industrial production expanded at the quickest pace in six months in April. Industrial production advanced 17.6 percent year-on-year in April, much faster than the 9.2 percent rise in March. Among clusters, electronics output grew the most by 44.0 percent from last year, led by the infocomms and consumer electronics and semiconductors segments, on the back of robust AI-related demand.
Japan's leading index improved less than expected in March to the highest level in nearly four years. The leading index, which measures future economic activity, rose to 114.0 in March from 113.2 in January. Moreover, this was the highest reading since April 2022, when it was 114.6. The flash score was 114.5.
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.