New Zealand Unemployment Data Due On Wednesday
(RTTNews) - New Zealand will on Wednesday release Q1 figures for unemployment, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.
The jobless rate is expected to tick up to 3.5 percent from 3.4 percent in the previous quarter, while the employment change is expected to add 0.4 percent after gaining 0.2 percent in the three months prior. The participation rate is called steady at 71.7 percent.
Australia will provide preliminary March numbers for retail sales, with forecasts calling for an increase of 0.3 percent on month - accelerating from 0.2 percent in February.
The central bank in Malaysia will wrap up its monetary policy meeting and then announce its decision on interest rates; the central bank is expected to keep its benchmark lending rate unchanged at 2.75 percent.
Thailand will see April figures for consumer prices, with forecasts suggesting an annual increase of 2.7 percent for overall inflation and 1.7 percent for core CPI.
Finally, the markets in China and Japan are closed on Wednesday, for Labor Day and Showa Day, respectively.
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