Australia Unemployment Data Due On Thursday

(RTTNews) - Australia will on Thursday release December numbers for unemployment, setting the pace for a busy day in Asia-Pacific economic activity.

The jobless rate is expected to hold steady at 6.3 percent, while the Australian economy is expected to have added 5,000 jobs after gaining 42,700 jobs in November.

Japan will see November numbers for core machine orders and December figures for domestic corporate goods prices.

Core machine orders are expected to add 4.4 percent on month but fall 6.3 percent on year after losing 6.4 percent on month and 4.9 percent on year in October. Corporate goods prices are tipped to ease 0.3 percent on month and rise 2.1 percent on year after losing 0.2 percent on month and gaining 2.7 percent on year in November.

The Bank of Korea will wrap up its monetary policy meeting and then announce its decision on interest rates; the central bank is widely expected to keep rates on hold at 2.0 percent.

Singapore will see November numbers for retail sales, with forecasts calling for a decline of 0.2 percent on month but an increase of 7.0 percent on year. That follows the 1.3 percent monthly decline and the 8.1 percent annual increase in October.

New Zealand will provide December numbers for food prices; in November, prices fell 0.5 percent on month.

The central bank in Indonesia will conclude its monetary policy meeting and announce its decision on interest rates; the bank is widely expected to keep rates unchanged at 7.75 percent.