Hong Kong logged a 7.9% annual growth in total retail sales value in May at HK$33.8 billion, compared with the revised increase of 8.7% in the previous month, provisional government data showed Thursday.
The Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department added that year-to-date sales from all retail outlets was up 8.2% on an annual basis.
South Korea's economic growth could cross 4% in 2026, based on projections made by several domestic and international institutions, Pulse reported on Wednesday.This comes after UK-based global macroeconomic firm Capital Economics raised Korea's real GDP growth to 4%, attributing it to surging demand related to AI, the report said.Of the 42 domestic and overseas institutions, 11 projected the country's growth at 3% or higher in 2026, the report noted.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)
Singapore home prices rose at a slower pace in the second quarter, recording a 0.5% gain versus the 0.9% increase witnessed during the first three months of the year, according to preliminary data published by the Urban Redevelopment Authority Wednesday.The pace of increase was also slower than the 1% rise in the same quarter last year, but came ahead of the Trading Economics forecast of a 0.4% rise.The government agency warned that the macroeconomic outlook remained "highly uncertain."
Australia's goods balance recorded a seasonally adjusted deficit of AU$3.02 billion in May, down from a surplus of AU$1.38 billion in April, according to data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.Goods exports fell 6.9%, or AU$3.22 billion, to AU$43.61 billion, driven by decreases in the non-monetary gold and metal ores and minerals.Goods imports rose 2.6%, or AU$1.18 billion, to AU$46.63 billion, driven by increases in non-industrial transport equipment, civil aircraft, and confidentialized items.