For the week ahead in Asia, markets will be focused on a busy stretch of purchasing manners index (PMI) releases covering manufacturing activity across the region.
The week opens Monday on a relatively light note, with India's industrial production data and the Bank of Japan's summary of opinions on tap.
Attention then shifts Tuesday to China's official PMI reports, along with a dense calendar of data from Japan and South Korea.
Midweek, S&P Global releases PMI readings across Asia, while Japan's Tankan survey and South Korea's trade figures also draw focus.
Thursday brings South Korean inflation and Australian trade data, before Friday closes the week with services PMI reports from China and Japan.
Here's what to watch in the week ahead.
MONDAY, March 30
The week will be off to a relatively light start, with two key data points from India among the handful of releases scheduled from the Asian region.
The world's most populous economy is scheduled to report its industrial production and manufacturing production stats for the month of February.
Analysts expect India's industrial production growth to soften to 4.7% year on year from the 4.8% witnessed in January, according to a consensus compiled by Trading Economics.
In Japan, the Bank of Japan's summary of opinions will offer clues on its decision to keep rates at 0.75% while flagging risks from rising oil prices amid Middle East tensions.
TUESDAY, March 31
The macro calendar picks up Tuesday, led by China's official manufacturing, non-manufacturing, and composite PMI reports.
After remaining in the contraction territory for 10 of the past 11 months, China's manufacturing PMI could return to neutral territory with a reading of 50 in March, ING predicted in a preview.
"A move to 50 or above [from February's 49.0] would be welcome news," ING said.
Japan is also due to release a batch of key data points on Tuesday, including the closely watched Tokyo core consumer price index for February, which markets will use as an early indicator for the overall inflation rate in the country.
Economists at ING expect both headline and core inflation to remain stable in March, matching a Trading Economics consensus that sees core CPI unchanged from February's 1.8% rise.
Japan will also release its unemployment rate for February, as well as retail sales and industrial production data for the month.
South Korea will similarly report its industrial production and retail sales figures, with improvements expected on both fronts, according to ING.
Retail sales data from Thailand is expected the same day.
Australia's central bank will release minutes from its most recent policy meeting, giving markets an insight into the split decision to increase the official cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.1%.
The Reserve Bank of Australia attributed the March hike to higher energy prices and prolonged uncertainty in the Middle East, but noted at the time the decision was not unanimous as five members voted in favor while the remaining four voted to leave the rate unchanged at 3.85%.
Neighboring New Zealand will release a business confidence report which could show a sharp deterioration in business sentiment since the start of the Iran conflict, Westpac said in a preview.
"The surge in fuel prices will no doubt send inflation expectations and pricing intentions higher as well," the bank said in its note.
WEDNESDAY, April 1
Manufacturing activity across Asia will be in focus as S&P Global releases its monthly PMI reports covering China, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
According to ING, S&P Global's private reading in China could once again come in stronger than the official NBS manufacturing PMI.
In South Korea, ING said it expects the manufacturing PMI to fall below 50 -- indicating a contraction -- even as other data is likely to show the economy expanded in the first quarter of 2026.
South Korea is due to report its March trade figures the same day, with exports projected to surge by nearly 50% on strong chip sales, according to ING. However, higher commodity prices are also expected to push up import costs, potentially weighing on manufacturers' sentiment.
The Tankan Large Manufacturers Index for the first quarter, a key gauge of Japanese business confidence, will be due the same day. A consensus compiled by Quick indicated economists expect sentiment among large Japanese manufacturers to rise to +17 from +15 in the prior quarter, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Indonesia's March inflation print will also capture headlines Wednesday. Analysts at ANZ expect headline inflation to ease to 3.57% from the 4.76% witnessed in February, the WSJ reported.
Indonesia's trade data will also be on display, with Trading Economics forecasting a rise in the country's surplus to $1.2 billion in February from $960 million in the month prior.
Elsewhere, Hong Kong will report February retail sales data.
THURSDAY, April 2
Markets will turn their attention to monthly inflation data coming in from South Korea.
According to Trading Economics, March's print could show a 2.2% rise in prices, quickening from the 2% recorded in February. Economists at ANZ expect inflation to stay near 3% for much of 2026 thanks to rising oil prices and shipping costs linked to the Middle East conflict, the WSJ reported.
Australia's February trade figures will also be in the news. Analysts expect the country's trade surplus to narrow to A$2.5 billion from the A$2.63 billion recorded in January, according to a consensus compiled by Trading Economics.
Westpac said it was forecasting the surplus to narrow to A$1.5 billion, due in part to adverse weather which disrupted production and shipments.
Elsewhere, S&P Global reports manufacturing PMI for India, while an official reading from Singapore's Institute of Purchasing and Materials Management is also expected.
FRIDAY, April 3
The week rounds off with a batch of S&P Global PMI reports covering composite and services activity in China and Japan.
Services activity in China is expected to soften during the month, but remain in the expansionary territory with a reading of 53.7, according to a consensus compiled by Trading Economics.
Similarly, activity in Japan's services sector is expected to slow down in March, but remain in the expansionary territory with a reading of 52.8, according to a consensus compiled by Trading Economics.
A business confidence report in Thailand is also due Friday.
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