On Thursday, South Korea plans to publish preliminary gross domestic product (GDP) data for the first quarter. This release is a noteworthy event for financial activities in the Asia-Pacific region. GDP growth is projected to be 0.6% quarterly and 2.4% annually, following a 0.6% quarterly and 2.2% annual increase in the previous three months.
In addition, Malaysia is due to share consumer price figures for March. In February, the inflation rate rose by 0.5% monthly and 1.8% annually.
Hong Kong will also be releasing March data for imports, exports, and trade balance; in February, there was a decrease in imports by 1.8% monthly, while exports dropped by 0.8%, resulting in a trade deficit of HKD41.7 billion.
Lastly, it's worth noting that the markets in Australia and New Zealand are closed on Thursday for Anzac Day and will resume operations the following day, which is Friday.
