Oil prices were volatile on Monday, after surging 7% on Friday, as renewed strikes by Israel and Iran over the weekend increased concerns that the conflict could widen across the Middle East and significantly disrupt oil exports from the region.
China’s factory output growth hit a six-month low in May, while retail sales picked up steam, offering temporary relief for the world’s second-largest economy amid a fragile truce in its trade war with the United States.
Thailand’s commerce minister on Monday said his country would have trade talks with the United States and expressed confidence both sides could agree on good terms on tariffs, possibly as low as 10%.
China’s economy is on track to achieve its growth target in at least the first half of 2025, ING analysts said, citing some resilience in consumer spending and a modest impact from a U.S. trade war.
Most Asian stocks moved little on Monday as a sustained conflict between Iran and Israel kept risk appetite on the backfoot, as did anticipation of a barrage of central bank meetings this week.
Britain’s economy slowed sharply in April, reflecting shockwaves from U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of wide-ranging tariffs and a one-off hit from the end of a tax break on property sales, official data showed on Thursday.