Hong Kong's retail sales growth moderated for the second straight month in April. The value of retail sales grew 8.6 percent year-on-year in April, slower than the 12.8 percent surge in March. Sales of consumer durable goods continued to grow sharply by 26.2 percent from last year, and those of jewelry, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts rose by 19.8 percent.
The total number of building approvals issued in Australia was down a seasonally adjusted 3.4 percent on month in April, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday - coming in at 16,710. Approvals for private sector houses dipped 1.0 percent on month to 10,088, while approvals for private...
Australia posted a seasonally adjusted current account deficit of A$27.1 billion in the first quarter of 2026, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday. That missed forecasts for a shortfall of A$23.1 billion following the downwardly revised A$23.0 billion deficit in the previous three...
The monetary base in Japan was down 12.2 percent on year in May, the Bank of Japan said on Tuesday - coming in at 575.763 trillion yen. That missed expectations for a decline of 9.5 percent following the 11.3 percent drop in April. Banknotes in circulation fell an annual 1.7 percent, while coins...
Australia is scheduled to release a batch of data on Tuesday, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are April numbers for building approvals and private sector credit and Q1 figures for current account and company gross operating profits. In March, building approvals were...
India's manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in three months, driven by quicker rises in new orders, output, and input buying amid precautionary stockpiling as the Middle East conflict remains unresolved. The HSBC manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 55.0 in May from 54.7 in April. The upturn was attributed to demand strength, infrastructure projects, and new orders.
China's manufacturing sector growth softened in May, while inflationary pressures showed signs of easing, survey data from S&P Global revealed Monday. The headline RatingDog manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 51.8 from 52.2 seen in April. The indicator has remained above the 50.0 no-change mark for the sixth straight month in May.
South Korea posted a seasonally adjusted merchandise trade surplus of $26.95 billion in May, Statistics Korea said on Monday. That beat expectations for a surplus of $24.30 billion and was up from $23.75 billion in April. Exports surged 53.2 percent on year, beating forecasts for an increase of...
The manufacturing sector in Australia continued to expand in May, albeit at a slower rate, the latest survey from S&P Global revealed on Monday with a manufacturing PMI score of 50.7. That's down from 51.3 in April, although it remains above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from...
Japan will on Monday release Q1 numbers for capital spending, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Capex is seen higher by 4.1 percent on year, easing from 6.5 percent in the three months prior. South Korea is scheduled to release May numbers for imports, exports and trade...
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...
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.