Jamie McGeever takes a look at the day ahead in Asian markets.
On Friday, a Chinese producer and consumer price inflation report for November grabbed the spotlight in Asia, with investors hoping to round off a bruising week on a positive note.
It is bruising for regional and global stocks, not for China's, which are on course to post a second straight week's gain of at least 2%. Producer prices are expected to have fallen further in November, to - 1.4%, the second month in a row of outright decline. This would be the lowest annual factory gate inflation rate in two years.
The PPI has fallen every month in the past 12 months.
On a month-on-month basis, they expect a decline of 0.2%, the fastest monthly deflation since May.
Market-friendly inflation prints are being driven in part by the base effects of falling energy and commodity prices, which is why investors will probably like market-friendly inflation prints.
U.S. oil futures closed on Thursday at their lowest this year, and inflation perspective is that year-on-year change is now negative. Brent crude has slumped almost 25% in a month, and its year-on-year change is about to turn negative for the first time since February 2021, according to its year-on-year change.
China, the world's biggest energy consumer, is a major trade partner of the Gulf states and bilateral ties have expanded and strengthened in recent years.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Saudi Arabia, heralded a new era in Arab relations. Saudi energy minister said on Wednesday that Riyadh would be a trusted and reliable energy partner for Beijing and that the two would boost energy supply chain cooperation by setting up a regional center in the kingdom for Chinese factories.
Xi is due to meet other Gulf oil producers and attend an Arab leaders gathering on Friday.
Price pressures in China are easing because of the COVID 19 lockdowns, restrictions and sluggish economic activity. If the economy was regaining, investors would prefer signs of inflation bottoming out.
Three key developments that could give more direction to markets on Friday are: