Thailand's government is forging ahead with a 500 billion baht ($13.9 billion) handout scheme and may still need to borrow to finance it, a deputy finance minister said on Wednesday.

British inflation slowed in February, keeping the Bank of England on track to start cutting interest rates in the months ahead and offering some better economic news to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before an election expected later this year.

Japan's factory activity shrank at a slower pace in March, while further expansion in the service sector supported overall growth in the private sector, a business survey showed on Thursday.

Japan’s manufacturing sector shrank less than expected in March, while the services sector grew at a faster pace, indicating some resilience in the economy as it faces an end to nearly a decade on monetary stimulus.

Confidence at big Japanese companies rebounded to a three-month high in March, and the service-sector mood rose to a seven-month high, a Reuters poll showed, in a sign businesses are growing more optimistic for a recovery in the world's No. 4 economy.

U.S. retail sales are expected to rise as much as 3.5% this year, a slower pace than 2023, industry body National Retail Federation said on Wednesday, as sticky inflation dampens hopes of a strong recovery in consumer spending.