Asia/Pacific Weekly Preview: Asia – Macro Catalysts: BI on Hold; Japan's and Thailand's 1Q GDP; China’s Activity Data

Research evidence excerpt

Asia/Pacific Weekly Preview: Asia – Macro Catalysts: BI on Hold; Japan's and Thailand's 1Q GDP; China’s Activity Data

Idea

May 15, 2026 12:25 PM GMT

Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Pte.+MAsia/Pacific Weekly Preview | Asia Pacific Derrick Y Kam

Asia Economist

Asia – Macro Catalysts: BI on Derrick.Kam@morganstanley.comMorgan Stanley Asia Limited+ +65 6834-8272

Robin Xing

Chief China EconomistHold; Japan's and Thailand's 1Q Robin.Xing@morganstanley.com +852 2848-6511

Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co., Ltd.+GDP; China’s Activity Data Takeshi Yamaguchi

Chief Japan Economist

We expect BI to remain on hold at the May 20 meeting. We Takeshi.Yamaguchi@morganstanleymufg.com +81 3 6836-5404

expect Japan's preliminary 1Q GDP to show strong growth, while Morgan Stanley India Company Private Limited+

Upasana Chachra

Thailand’s 1Q GDP may soften. China's industrial production will Chief India Economist

likely strengthen further, supported by a global capex super- Upasana.Chachra@morganstanley.com +91 22 6118-2246

cycle. Morgan Stanley Asia Limited+

Kathleen Oh

Chief Korea/Taiwan Economist

Key Takeaways Kathleen.Oh@morganstanley.com +852 2848-7340

We provide a list of macro catalysts across Asia for May 18-24. Morgan Stanley Australia Limited+

Chris Read

We expect BI to remain on hold at this meeting – it will continue to prioritise Equity Strategist and Australia Economist

currency stability. Chris.Read@morganstanley.com +61 2 9770-1513

We expect Japan's first preliminary GDP estimate to show solid growth at 1.7% Morgan Stanley Asia Limited+

Jonathan Cheung

QoQ SAAR for 1Q. Thailand's 1Q GDP growth is likely to slow to 1.4%Y. Economist

Jonathan.Cheung@morganstanley.com +852 2848-5652

China's industrial production is likely to edge up to 7%Y in April, driven by gains in

Kelly Wang