Australia's leading index signalled sluggish and below-trend growth in May, Westpac said Wednesday. The six-month annualized growth rate in the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Leading Index, which indicates the likely pace of economic activity relative to trend three to nine months into the future, rose...
The value of core machinery orders in Japan was up a seasonally adjusted 8.7 percent on month in April, the Cabinet Office said on Wednesday - coming in at 1,098.5 billion yen. That exceeded expectations for an increase of 1.2 percent following the 9.4 percent drop in March. On a yearly basis,...
Japan posted a merchandise trade deficit of 378.673 billion yen in May, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday. That beat expectations for a shortfall of 564.6 billion yen following the downwardly revised 299.3 billion yen surplus in April (originally 301.9 billion). Exports climbed 17.0 percent...
New Zealand posted a seasonally adjusted current account deficit of NZ$4.6 billion in the first quarter (NZ$1.01 billion unadjusted), Statistics New Zealand said on Wednesday. The current account deficit for the year ended March 2026 narrowed to NZ$16.3 billion (3.6 percent of GDP) compared with a...
Japan will on Wednesday release April figures for core machinery orders and May numbers for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Core machinery orders are expected to rise 2.1 percent on month and 9.3 percent on year after sinking 9.4 percent...
The Treasury Department announced the results of this month's auction of $13 billion worth of twenty-year bonds on Tuesday, revealing the sale attracted above average demand. The twenty-year bond auction drew a high yield of 4.927 percent and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.75. Last month, the Treasury...
A report released by the Labor Department on Tuesday showed import prices in the U.S. shot up by much more than expected in the month of May. The Labor Department said import prices jumped by 1.9 percent in May after leaping by an upwardly revised 2.0 percent in April.
The Commerce Department released a report on Tuesday showing another steep drop in new residential construction in the U.S. in the month of May. The report said housing starts plunged by 15.4 percent to an annual rate of 1.177 million in May after tumbling by 8.5 percent to a revised rate of 1.392 million in April.
A report released by the Labor Department on Tuesday showed import prices in the U.S. shot up by much more than expected in the month of May. The Labor Department said import prices jumped by 1.9 percent in May after leaping by an upwardly revised 2.0 percent in April. Economists had expected import...
The Commerce Department released a report on Tuesday showing a steep drop in new residential construction in the U.S. in the month of May. The report said housing starts plummeted by 15.4 percent to an annual rate of 1.177 million in May after plunging by 8.5 percent to a revised rate of 1.392 million...
Economic sentiment in Germany returned to positive territory in June as financial market experts expect an end to the Iran conflict, survey results from the Mannheim-based Centre for European Economic Research, or ZEW, showed Tuesday. The ZEW indicator of economic sentiment advanced more-than-expected to 10.5 in June from -10.2 in the previous month. The score was seen at -5.8.
The Bank of Japan decided to raise its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point to its highest level in 31 years, and to halt government bond purchase reductions next year. The policy board of BoJ voted 7-1 to raise the interest rate to 1.00 percent from 0.75 percent. The board signaled its commitment to further monetary policy tightening to support its price stability target.
Hong Kong's unemployment rate held steady in the three months ending in May. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate came in at 3.7 percent in March to May, the same as in the February to April period. Similarly, the underemployment rate stayed unchanged at 1.5 percent. Total employment fell by around 8,700 to 3.639 million.
Consumer price inflation in Italy accelerated further in May to the highest level in more than two-and-a-half years, as estimated initially. Consumer price inflation accelerated to 3.2 percent in May from April's 2.7 percent. The rise in inflation was mainly influenced by the price developments in non-regulated energy products, which grew by 12.5 percent.
Turkey's retail sales growth moderated in April to the lowest level in just over a year. Retail sales rose 11.4 percent yearly in April, much slower than the 21.7 percent surge in March, which was the fastest growth since February 2024. Annual sales growth in non-food products, excluding fuel, slowed to 14.5 percent from 29.5 percent, and growth in food products improved to 7.6 percent.
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.