The Reserve Bank of Australia raised its key interest rate by a quarter-point on Thursday as risks to inflation remain tilted to the upside. The policy board, governed by Michele Bullock, decided to lift the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 4.35 percent. This decision followed similar quarter-point...
The services sector in Australia swung sharply into expansion territory in April, the latest survey from S&P Global revealed on Tuesday with a services PMI score of 50.7. That's up from 46.3 in March and it moves above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. Sustained...
The Reserve Bank of Australia will wrap up its monetary policy meeting on Tuesday and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The RBA is widely expected to hike its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points, to 4.35 percent from 4.10...
India's factory activity logged the second-weakest growth in four years amid soaring inflationary pressures caused by the impact of the Middle East War. The HSBC manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 54.7 in April from 53.9 in March. Demand resilience supported sales and production, but that growth was hampered by competitive conditions, the war in the Middle East, and client reluctance
Australia's building approvals logged a double-digit decline in March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported Monday. The number of dwellings approved decreased 10.5 percent to 17,300 in March. This followed a surge of 31.0 percent in February. The fall in overall dwellings approved reflect...
Australia will on Monday release March figures for building approvals, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In February, approvals were up 29.7 percent on year and 10.8 percent on month. Australia also will see April results for the inflation gauge from the Melbourne Institute...
The manufacturing sector in Japan continued to expand in April, and at a faster pace, the latest survey from Jibun Bank revealed on Friday with a manufacturing PMI score of 55.1. That's up from 51.6 in March and it moves further above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. April...
South Korea posted a merchandise trade surplus of $23.77 billion in April, the Customs Office said on Friday. That exceeded expectations for a surplus of $23.00 billion following the $26.24 billion surplus in March. Exports surged 48.0 percent on year, again topping forecasts for an increase of...
The manufacturing sector in Australia continued to expand in April, and at a faster pace, the latest survey from S&P Global revealed on Friday with a manufacturing PMI score of 51.3. That's up from 51.0 in March and it moves further above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. The...
The total number of building permits issued in New Zealand was down a seasonally adjusted 1.3 percent on month in March, Statistics New Zealand said on Friday - coming in at 3,677. That follows the upwardly revised 2.8 percent increase in February (originally 2.7 percent). Individually, permits...
Australia will on Friday release Q1 numbers for producer prices, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In the previous quarter, producer prices were up 0.8 percent on quarter and 3.5 percent on year. South Korea will provide April data for imports, exports and trade balance....
Japan's consumer sentiment weakened further in April to the lowest level in one year. The seasonally adjusted consumer confidence index dropped to 32.2 in April from 33.3 in March. The sub-index for the overall livelihood continued to decline by 1.5 points to 28.2 in April. Similarly, the index for the willingness to buy durable goods worsened to 23.2 from 26.0.
China's manufacturing activity expanded at a stronger-than-expected pace in April, survey data from S&P Global showed Thursday. The RatingDog factory Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 52.2 from 50.8 in the previous month. Economists had forecast the index to rise marginally to 50.9. The score...
Industrial production in South Korea was up a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent on month in March, Statistics Korea said on Thursday. That exceeded expectations for an increase of 0.2 percent following the downwardly revised 5.3 percent increase in February (originally 5.4 percent). On a yearly basis,...
Japan is scheduled to release a raft of data on Thursday, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are March figures for industrial production, retail sales, construction orders and housing starts, as well as April results for its consumer confidence index. In February, industrial...
May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.