Australia's goods balance recorded a seasonally adjusted surplus of AU$1.79 billion in April, up from a deficit of AU$1.02 billion in March, according to data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.
Goods exports rose 7.2%, or AU$3.18 billion, to AU$47.19 billion, driven by a AU$2.39 billion increase in the metal ores and minerals.
Goods imports rose 0.8%, or AU$365 million, to AU$45.4 billion, driven by a AU$2.51 billion increase in fuels and lubricants.
The Indian government "remains engaged" with Washington after the Office of U.S. Trade Representative proposed additional taxes on imports from 60 economies, including India, over forced-labor trade practices.India's commerce ministry said Wednesday that it remains in talks with the U.S. over the matter as part of Section 301 proceedings, and is simultaneously holding discussions on finalizing a broader trade agreement announced in February.The USTR has proposed a 10% additional tariff for economies that have partially enforced bans on the importation of certain forced labor goods, and a 12.5% tariff for all others, according to the recently announced proposal.
Overall card spending in New Zealand rose 1.8% in May in seasonally adjusted terms, up 4.8% compared with the same period last year, with notable bounce-back at discretionary-type stores, ANZ said in a report on Thursday.Monthly and annual growth improved across nearly all categories in May, with each category experiencing higher monthly spending growth compared to April, although annual growth showed mixed results.Hospitality recorded a 3.5% month-on-month increase and 5.9% year on year, while apparel reached a 2.9% month-on-month rise, 3.4% year on year.Housing durables rose 2.7% month on month and 9.5% year on year.Motor vehicles and fuel was the only headline category that recorded a 1% month-on-month decline in May due to a decrease in fuel prices.
Japanese investors sold a total of 184.8 billion yen in bonds in the week ended May 30, after purchasing 12.9 billion yen in bonds in the week ended May 23, Japan's Ministry of Finance said Thursday.The shift indicated the first net weekly outflow for foreign bond investments in May after four straight weeks of net purchases.