Japan Rate Decision On Tap For Thursday

(RTTNews) - The Bank of Japan will wrap up its monetary policy meeting on Thursday and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The central bank is widely expected to keep its benchmark lending rate unchanged at -0.10 percent.

New Zealand will release Q3numbers for gross domestic product and November figures for imports, exports and trade balance.

GDP is expected to add 0.5 percent on quarter and 2.3 percent on year after gaining 0.5 percent on quarter and 2.1 percent on year in the three months prior.

Imports are expected to be worth NZ$5.80 billion, down from NZ$6.05 billion in October. Exports are pegged at NS$5.10 billion, up from NZ$5.03 billion in the previous month. The trade balance is expected to show a deficit of NZ$700 million following the NZ$1.013 billion shortfall a month earlier.

Australia will release November numbers for unemployment, with the jobless rate expected to hold steady at 5.3 percent. The economy is predicted to have gained 15,000 jobs following the loss of 19,000 in October. The participation rate is called steady at 66.0 percent.

The central bank in Indonesia will conclude its monetary policy meeting and then announce its decision on interest rates. The central bank is expected to keep its benchmark lending rate steady at 5.00 percent.