From Australia, Building Approvals figures were releasedon Thursday. The seasonally adjusted estimate for Building approved rose 7.5% in November and has risen for two months. Analysts were forecasting 2.7% decrease. Private sector houses fell 0.3% in November and have fallen for three months, while private sector dwellings excluding houses rose 16.7% and have risen for two months.
Friday brought Retail Sales figures from Australia. In seasonally adjusted terms Australian Retail Sales rose 0.1% in November 2014, missing expectations on 0.4% increase. This follows a rise of 0.4% in October 2014 and a rise of 1.3% in September 2014. In trend terms retail sales rose 0.4% in November 2014.
From China CPI and PPI data was published. According to the latest release China's CPI increased by 1.5%, in line with market forecast. However, more worrying factor at the moment is constant PPI decline. An expected weak start of 2015 will prompt the government to step up measures to support the economy. Separate report on PPI showed 3.3% decrease, more than predicted 3.1% decline.
This week markets will be looking at:
ANZ Job Advertisements (Monday 1:30)
Home Loans (Monday 1:30)
Employment Change/ Unemployment Rate (Thursday 1:30)
