http://www.cnbc.com/id/102704532
Japan should remain the key focus for Asian markets in the week ahead as investors look to a slew of data on tap to confirm that the economic giant is poised for a comeback. Government data last Tuesday showed the world's third-largest economy expanded an annualized 2.4 percent, marking its fastest pace in a year and beating the 1.5 percent print expected in a Reuters poll. The optimism led the benchmark Nikkei 225 up 2.7 percent for the week.
Monday will bring April trade figures, while inflation, jobs, industrial production and household spending data for the same month are all due for release at the end of the week. "In Japan, expect to see labor market indicators remain solid, a slight improvement in household spending and a bounce in industrial production," Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP Capital, wrote in a note published Friday.
However, the closely-watched consumer price index (CPI) may disappoint. Moody's Analytics expects the core inflation rate to rise 2.2 percent from a year earlier in April, unchanged from the previous month. Excluding the effects of the consumption sales tax hike a year ago, the nationwide consumer price index ticked up a modest 0.2 percent.