South Korea will on Thursday release preliminary Q1 figures for gross domestic product, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. GDP is expected to rise 0.6 percent on quarter and 2.4 percent on year after gaining 0.6 percent on quarter and 2.2 percent on year in the three months prior.
Malaysia will provide March numbers for consumer prices; in February, inflation was up 0.5 percent on month and 1.8 percent on year.
Hong Kong will release March data for imports, exports and trade balance; in February, imports were down 1.8 percent on month and exports fell 0.8 percent for a trade deficit of HKD41.7 billion.
Finally, the markets in Australia and New Zealand are closed on Thursday for Anzac Day and will re-open on Friday.
Economic News