Chinese Data Due On Friday

(RTTNews) - China is scheduled to release a batch of data on Friday, headlining a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are Q4 numbers for gross domestic product, as well as December figures for industrial production, retail sales, fixed asset investment and unemployment.

GDP is forecast to have risen 1.4 percent on quarter and 6.0 percent on year after gaining 1.5 percent on quarter and 6.0 percent on year in the three months prior.

Industrial production is tipped to add 5.9 percent on year, slowing from 6.2 percent in November. Retail sales are called higher by an annual 7.9 percent, easing from 8.0 percent in the previous month.

Fixed asset investment is called steady at 5.2 percent, while the jobless rate is called unchanged at 5.1 percent.

Japan will see November numbers for its tertiary industry index, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 1.0 percent on month after sliding 4.6 percent in October.

Singapore will provide December data for imports, exports and trade balance. In November, imports were worth SGD42.49 billion and exports were at SGD45.76 billion for a trade surplus of SGD3.27 billion.