Japan is scheduled to release a batch of data on Friday, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are December figures for unemployment, industrial production, retail sales, construction orders and housing starts, plus January numbers for Tokyo inflation.
Industrial production is expected to sink 0.4 percent on month after falling 2.7 percent in November. Retail sales are seen higher by 0.7 percent on year, easing from 1.0 percent in the previous month. The jobless rate is called steady at 2.6 percent.
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May 08, 2026 15:50 ET Manufacturing and services sector survey results and labor market data from main economies were the highlight on the economics news front this week. Factory orders and jobs report dominated the news flow in the U.S. Similarly, industrial production data from German garnered attention in Europe. In Asia, purchasing managers’ survey results from China and the central bank decision from Australia were in focus.