Week Ahead APAC Economic Preview: Week of 21 January 2019

Flash January PMI data will provide important insights into economic performance and price trends of major economies at the start of 2019, especially for the US, where official data releases are subject to delayed publication due to the government shutdown. December PMI surveys rattled financial markets, indicating that 2018 ended on a disappointing note for many countries, pushing the global PMI down to a 27-month low.

In Asia, the week kicks off with a number of countries reporting GDP figures. Undoubtedly, China's GDP data will be watched especially closely for clues of the likelihood of further stimulus. Japan, Korea and Malaysia are also set to decide on monetary policy, while trade data from Thailand, Taiwan and Japan could offer clues as to the trade-war impact on exports, particularly electronics.

Elsewhere, the ECB holds its first monetary policy meeting of 2019, with analysts eager to see how the central bank will respond to growing signs of renewed weakness in the eurozone economy. Updated UK labour market data will meanwhile help frame the outlook for Bank of England interest rate policy.

Our special focus looks at the economic outlook for ASEAN in 2019 at a time where supply chains are shifting due to corporate responses to global trade tensions.

Download the article for a full diary of key economic releases.

Contact for further APAC commentary: Rajiv Biswas or Bernard Aw

Contact for European and US PMI commentary: Chris Williamson

© 2019, IHS Markit Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

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Purchasing Managers' Index™ (PMI™) data are compiled by IHS Markit for more than 40 economies worldwide. The monthly data are derived from surveys of senior executives at private sector companies, and are available only via subscription. The PMI dataset features a headline number, which indicates the overall health of an economy, and sub-indices, which provide insights into other key economic drivers such as GDP, inflation, exports, capacity utilization, employment and inventories. The PMI data are used by financial and corporate professionals to better understand where economies and markets are headed, and to uncover opportunities.

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This article was published by S&P Global Market Intelligence and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.