The Bank of Japan will wrap up its monetary policy meeting on Friday and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The BoJ is expected to hike its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points, to 0.75 percent from 0.50 percent.
Japan also will see November numbers for consumer prices; in October, overall national inflation was up 0.4 percent on month and 3.0 percent on year, while core CPI was up 0.3 percent on year.
Australia will provide November data for private sector credit, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 0.6 percent on month - easing from 0.7 percent.
New Zealand will see November figures for credit card spending; in October, spending was up 1.4 percent both on month and on year.
Malaysia will release November numbers for imports, exports and trade balance. Imports are expected to rise 7.2 percent on year, down from 11.2 percent in October. Exports are called higher by an annual 7.8 percent, moderating from 15.7 percent in the previous month. The trade surplus in October was MYR19.00 billion.
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December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.