China is poised to unveil a series of critical economic indicators on Friday, marking a significant day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The data set to be released includes April statistics for industrial production, retail sales, fixed asset investment, and unemployment rates.
Industrial production is anticipated to grow by 5.4% year-on-year, up from 4.5% in March. Retail sales are projected to increase by 3.9% annually, compared to 3.1% in the prior month. Fixed Asset Investment (FAI) is expected to edge up to 4.6% from 4.5%, while the unemployment rate is forecasted to remain stable at 5.2%.
New Zealand will announce its Q1 producer price index figures. Input prices are projected to rise by 0.6% quarter-on-quarter, down from 0.9% in the previous quarter. Output prices are expected to increase by 0.5% compared to a 0.7% rise in the last quarter.
Singapore is set to reveal April figures for non-oil domestic exports (NODX). In March, NODX fell by 8.4% month-on-month and 20.7% year-on-year, resulting in a trade surplus of SGD4.657 billion.
Malaysia will publish its Q1 gross domestic product (GDP) and current account numbers. Previously, GDP grew by 3.0% year-on-year, and the current account surplus was NYR0.25 billion.
Lastly, Hong Kong will release its Q1 GDP data, with forecasts predicting a 2.3% quarterly rise and a 2.7% annual growth. This follows a 0.4% quarterly increase and a 4.3% annual gain in the previous quarter.