Market Overview

By Jamie McGeever
(Reuters)
A look at the day ahead in Asian markets.

Financial market trading in many Asian countries could be choppy on Friday, with investors hoping to close out a remarkable month on a high but facing an economic calendar bursting at the seams with top-tier releases.

Wall Street put in mixed performance on Thursday as investors digested Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA)’s results from the day before which pushed the Nasdaq into the red, and surprisingly strong U.S. GDP data that helped lift the Dow to a record high.

However, the moves in stocks, rates and yields were modest, and investors in Asia may plow their own furrow on Friday. They will certainly have plenty of potential drivers.

Economic Calendar Highlights

The economic calendar includes:
– Second quarter GDP from India
– Retail sales and industrial production from South Korea
– Retail sales and private sector credit growth from Australia
– Current account data from Thailand
– Retail sales from Hong Kong

There is also a data deluge from Japan, which includes:
– Retail sales
– Industrial production
– Unemployment
– Tokyo inflation figures for August

Corporate Earnings

On the corporate front, earnings releases from Chinese financial giants Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, CITIC and China Construction Bank (OTC: CICHF) are also on tap.

Market Performance

It is worth noting where markets stand going into the last trading day of August, especially bearing in mind the historic volatility and price swings that battered many markets earlier this month.

• Japan’s Nikkei is down around 2% so far this month
• The MSCI Asia ex-Japan is up 1.5%
• World stocks and the S&P 500 are up more than 1%
• The Nasdaq is flat
• China’s blue chip index is down nearly 5%

The dollar index is down 2.6% and at its weakest level of the year, although it has risen for two consecutive days, while the yen is up around 3.7% and China’s yuan is up around 1.5%.

Tokyo Inflation Forecast

On the data front, annual consumer price inflation in Tokyo is expected to remain unchanged at 2.2% in August, ending three months of acceleration. This might suggest that the Bank of Japan may not be in such a hurry to raise rates again.

The same poll also found that factory output rose and retail sales continued to grow in July, underscoring the strength of Japan’s economy after better-than-expected April-June gross domestic product figures earlier this month.

India’s Economic Growth

India’s economic growth likely moderated and grew at its slowest pace in a year in the April-June quarter due to lower government spending amid a national election that concluded in June, according to a Reuters poll. Annual growth likely slowed to 6.9% in the quarter, down from 7.8% in the January-March period. The range of forecasts was wide – from 6.0% to 8.1%.

Key Developments

Here are key developments that could provide more direction to Asian markets on Friday:

• Japan – Tokyo inflation (August)
• India – GDP (Q2)
• Australia – retail sales (July)