Thailand's economy is expected to grow 2.8% this year, a sharp downgrade from a previous projection of 3.2%, the finance ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

South Korea's economy expanded at a slightly slower pace in the final three months of 2023 compared to Q3 as elevated interest rates held back domestic demand despite higher exports, according to economists polled by Reuters.

Sterling traders are betting that sticky inflation will outweigh slowing retail sales when the Bank of England puts economic data on the scales and makes its next interest rate decisions.

The U.S economy should avoid a recession in the coming year, according to an increasingly large majority of economists polled by the National Association of Business Economics.

Japanese shares surged to fresh 34-year highs and the yen gave ground on Tuesday as the Bank of Japan stood pat on ultra-loose monetary policy, while Chinese stocks got a temporary lift from a report of a huge market rescue package.

Oil prices were little changed on Tuesday as traders weighed a host of conflicting supply and demand worries, with rising tensions in the Middle East and cold weather woes disrupting production in the United States.