New Zealand’s Unemployment Rate fell to 5.3% in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026 from 5.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the official data released by Statistics New Zealand on Wednesday. The figure came in below the market consensus of 5.4%.
UOB economists Julia Goh and Loke Siew Ting highlight that Philippine inflation has surged to a 37‑month high, forcing a sharp upward revision to the 2026 forecast.
OCBC strategists Sim Moh Siong and Christopher Wong see USD/SGD rebounding after what he characterizes as a relief, not reversal, move lower.
DBS Group Research economist Chua Han Teng expects the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to turn more hawkish as Vietnam’s inflation accelerates and stays above target.
UOB economists Enrico Tanuwidjaja and Vincentius Ming Shen highlight that Indonesia’s 1Q26 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) beat expectations at 5.61% year-on-year, driven by government spending, household consumption and investment.
ING’s Deepali Bhargava highlights that Philippine Consumer Price Index (CPI) has jumped to a three‑year high, driven mainly by broad‑based food and fuel‑related pressures, and now looks set to average above 8% in 2Q.
DBS Group Research economist Radhika Rao analyses recent Indian state election results, highlighting the BJP’s (Bharatiya Janata Party) historic gains in West Bengal and a third-term win in Assam, alongside shifts in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) economist Nathan Janzen notes that higher Oil and Gold exports pushed Canada’s trade balance back into surplus in March, even as non-energy exports remain under pressure from U.S. tariffs.
The number of job openings in the United States (US) printed at 6.866 million in March, down from the revised 6.922 million in February, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in its Job Openings & Labor Turnover (JOLTS) report on Tuesday.
Economic activity in the US service sector lost some momentum in April, with the ISM Services PMI easing to 53.6 from 54.0 in the previous month, coming in below analysts' expectations.