Week Ahead for Asia-Pacfic

     JAPAN

     Trade statistics for October, due Monday, will be the key for the week,

showing whether external demand continued to improve at the start of the final

quarter of the year after rebounding in July-September. Q3 GDP posted a modest

0.3% rise on quarter, or an annualized 1.4%, as a rebound in net exports offset

a slump in consumer spending.

     Bank of Japan

     No public speeches by BOJ board members are scheduled until Nov.

     29, when Deputy Governor Hiroshi Nakaso speaks at a Tokyo seminar hosted by

the Jiji Press.

     Data

     Monday, 8:50 am JST (2350 GMT Sunday): The Ministry of Finance

     releases October trade data. The MNI median forecasts: exports +16.0% on

year, which would be the 11th straight y/y increase after +14.1% in September;

imports +21.3% on year, which would be the 10th straight y/y rise vs. +12.1% in

September; the trade balance in surplus by Y332.3 billion, which would be the

fifth straight month of black ink, but below the surpluses of Y667.7 billion in

September and Y481.2 billion in October 2016.

     Monday, 2 pm JST (0500 GMT): The BOJ releases the October real

     trade indexes. The export index fell 5.4% on month in September, the

     first drop in three months, vs. +3.0% in August.

     Wednesday, 9:00 am JST (0000 GMT): The Ministry of Health, Labour

     and Welfare releases revised September wages. Preliminary data showed total

monthly average cash earnings per regular employee rose 0.9% on year the second

straight y/y rise, but in real terms, average wages slipped

     0.1% on year, the fourth straight drop. Base wages, the key to a recovery

in cash earnings, rose 0.7% on year, the sixth straight y/y rise.

     Japanese Government Bonds

     Japanese government bond yields are expected to stay in a tight range

unless U.S. Treasury bond yields fluctuate sharply. JGB buying may

     emerge if the Nikkei 225 stock index falls in correction to its recent

     gains. The 10-year JGB yield is expected to move between 0.030% and

     0.070% this week against the bank's target of around zero.

     Wednesday: The Ministry of Finance to auction Y4.4 trillion of three-month

Treasury discount bills. BOJ outright purchase operations for JGBs with

remaining life of 1 to 3 years, 3 to 5 years and 5 to 10 years expected.

     Thursday: Japanese markets are closed for the Labor Thanksgiving Day public

holiday.

     Friday: BOJ outright purchase operations for JGBs with remaining life of

     1 to 25 years and over 25 years expected.

     CHINA

     No major data are events are scheduled for this week.

     AUSTRALIA

     The week is dominated by RBA events, with the highlight likely to be

Governor Philip Lowe's speech on Tuesday.

     Data

     Tuesday, 9:30 am AEDT (2230 GMT Monday): ANZ-Roy Morgan publishes weekly

consumer confidence. Last week the index rebounded from the fall the week before

to move just above its long-run average.

     Wednesday, 10:30 am AEDT (2330 GMT Monday): Westpac-MI publishes leading

index for October. The index has signaled growth below trend in recent months

but according to Westpac it may start to pick up as earlier weaknesses drop out

of the picture. The latest reading is likely to be boosted by rise in the local

share index and an increase in dwelling approvals.

     Wednesday, 11:30 am AEDT (0030 GMT): The Australian Bureau of Statistics

will publish construction work done in Q3. The MNI survey median forecast is for

a 2.0% q/q fall but the range of forecasts is very wide. Economists from ANZ

expect a sharp 24% surge while NAB economists forecast a 14% on expectations of

LNG floating platform import and work related to that.

     RBA

     Monday, 12:35 am AEDT (0130 GMT): RBA's head of financial stability

Jonathan Kearns will give a speech at an event in Sydney, followed by Q&A.

     Tuesday, 9:30 am AEDT (2230 GMT Monday): RBA's Assistant Governor Michele

Bullock will participate in a panel discussion at a payments symposium in

Sydney. There will be Q&A.

     Tuesday, 8:05 pm AEDT (0905 GMT): RBA Governor Philip Lowe will speak at

annual dinner of Australian Business Economists, followed by Q&A. Both the

speech and Q&A will be watched closely by the market.

     Tuesday, 11:30 am AEDT (0030 GMT): RBA publishes the minutes of November

board meeting. The RBA published the detailed quarterly Statement on Monetary

Policy three days after the board meeting but there is still ample interest in

the minutes for guidance on where the cash rate is headed.

     NEW ZEALAND

     It's a light week with the highlight being retail trade data for Q3.

     Data.

     Wednesday, 10:45 am NZDT (2145 GMT Tuesday): Statistics New Zealand will

release net migration data for October.

     Thursday, 10:45 am NZDT (2145 GMT Wednesday): Statistics New Zealand will

release retail sales data, with the MNI survey median forecast for a 0.2% q/q

rise after a 1.7% increase in Q2.

     Friday, 10:45 am NZDT (2145 GMT Thursday): Statistics New Zealand will

release international trade data for October, with the MNI survey median

forecast for a deficit of NZ$600 million, narrowing from the NZ$1.1 billion

deficit in September.

     RBNZ

     No major data or events are due from the RBNZ.