Most Asian stocks crept lower on Tuesday, cooling from recent gains as investors awaited more cues on interest rates this week, while Indian shares hovered around record highs on bets that the BJP won a third consecutive term in the 2024 general elections.
U.S. manufacturing activity slowed for a second straight month in May as new goods orders dropped by the most in nearly two years, and spending on construction projects slipped unexpectedly the month before, the latest indications that a gradual slowdown in the economy is taking hold.
The dollar languished at its lowest since April against the euro and sterling on Tuesday as signs of a softening U.S. economy boosted the case for earlier Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.
Thailand's manufacturing production index unexpectedly rose 3.43% in April from a year earlier, increasing for the first time in 19 months, helped by higher exports and tourism, the industry ministry said on Thursday.
British businesses are their most confident in eight years and their hiring plans are the strongest since 2017, according to a survey published on Friday that added to signs of a recovery in the economy as a national election approaches.
Chinese manufacturing activity unexpectedly contracted in May, purchasing managers index data showed on Friday, as an initial boost from bumper stimulus measures by Beijing now appeared to be running out of steam.