Investors will be looking at the impact that COVID-19 has had on economies around the world.
China will report purchasing manager numbers towards the end of the week that is expected to show that manufacturing contracted in May. However, the non-manufacturing sector could still be growing.
The eurozone will release flash inflation data for May. It is expected to indicate that the rate of inflation remains anaemic. In April, the headline rate was 0.3%. In May, it could be even lower at 0.2%.
The rate of inflation in Tokyo is also expected to be subdued. In April, core consumers prices in the capital fell 0.1%. In May, they could have fallen 0.3%, compared to a year ago.
Meanwhile, Japan retail sales for April could have been severely dented. They are expected to show a 12.8% decline in April, compared to last year. Hopefully, the possible lifting of emergency measures in Tokyo and nearby prefectures on Monday could help ease the pain of shopkeepers.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate could have increased from 2.5% in March to 2.9% in April. Elsewhere in Asia, Thailand could say that the rate of unemployment rose from 1% in March to 1.3% in April.
India will release GDP figures for the first quarter on Friday. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the economy expanded 4.9%, which was the weakest quarterly growth rate for seven years. This time, it could be just 1.9%.
And finally, Singapore banks could be in focus when bank lending for April is expected to show a slight increase from the previous month. In March, Singapore banks lent S$692.4 billion. In April, it is expected to be S$693.1 billion.
If you’d like to learn more investing concepts, and how to apply them to your investing needs, sign up for our free investing education newsletter, Get Smart! Click HERE to sign up now.
Get more stock updates on our Facebook page. Click here to like and follow us on Facebook.
Disclosure: David Kuo does not own any of the shares mentioned.
