Equity indices in the Asia-Pacific region had mixed showing on Tuesday with South Korea’s Kospi (-3.3%) deepening its retreat from a record amid concerns about a potential employee strike at Samsung.
Japan’s Nikkei: -0.5%,
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng: +0.5%,
China’s Shanghai Composite: +0.9%,
India’s Sensex: -0.2%,
South Korea’s Kospi: -3.3%,
Australia’s ASX All Ordinaries: +1.1%.
Japan
Japanese debt slid to fresh lows for the year ahead of tomorrow’s 20-yr JGB auction.
Bank of Japan is expected to meet with JGB investors on Thursday and Friday.
Q1 GDP 0.5% qtr/qtr (expected 0.4%; prior 0.2%); 2.1% yr/yr (expected 1.7%; last 0.8%).
Q1 GDP Price Index 3.4% yr/yr (expected 3.1%; prior 3.4%), GDP External Demand 0.3% qtr/qtr (expected 0.2%; prior 0.0%), GDP Capital Expenditure 0.3% qtr/qtr (expected 0.2% prior 1.4%), GDP Private Consumption 0.3% qtr/qtr (expected 0.2%; prior 0.0%).
March Industrial Production -0.4% m/m (expected -0.5%; prior -2.0%) and Capacity Utilization -1.2% m/m (prior -0.1%).
March Tertiary Industry Activity Index 16.5 (expected -0.4; prior -1.1)
Hong Kong
April Unemployment Rate 3.7% (prior 3.7%)
Australia
May Westpac Consumer Sentiment 3.5% (prior -12.5%)
Reserve Bank of Australia’s chief economist warned that inflation risks are drifting higher.
New Zealand
Q1 Input PPI 1.4% (expected 0.8%; prior -0.5%) and Output PPI 0.8% qtr/qtr (expected 0.5%; last 0.1%).
April Electronic Card Retail Sales -1.3% m/m (prior 0.7%); 2.0% yr/yr (last 2.7%)
Major European indices trade in the green. STOXX Europe 600: +0.8%, Germany’s DAX: +1.3%, U.K.’s FTSE 100: +0.4%, France’s CAC 40: +0.5%, Italy’s FTSE MIB: -0.2%, Spain’s IBEX 35: +0.2%.