Asia week ahead: China’s purchasing managers’ data and key releases from South Korea and Taiwan

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China is set to release its purchasing managers’ index data. The official PMI data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is out Saturday morning. We’re looking for a slight uptick in both the manufacturing PMI – to 50.3 from 50.1 – and the non-manufacturing PMI to 50.3 from 50.2. This will be one of our first glimpses at China's early economic momentum in 2026. Most of January’s activity data will be bundled with February’s data to avoid Lunar New Year distortions and released in March. China’s RatingDog manufacturing PMI will be out on Monday. On Wednesday, we’ll get its services and composite PMI data.

Taiwan releases its January CPI numbers on Thursday. We’re looking for consumer prices to edge down to 1.2% year-on-year from 1.3% in December. Additionally, the S&P manufacturing PMI for Taiwan will be released on Monday.

We expect South Korea’s exports to post another strong gain in January, driven by ongoing global demand for semiconductors and favourable calendar effects. A notable surge in memory chip prices is also expected to lift total exports. However, exports, ex-chips, will likely remain mediocre. We expect Korea’s manufacturing PMI to continue improving despite renewed threats of higher tariffs. The economy will benefit from the chip industry boom, contributing to overall growth. Meanwhile, inflation is expected to ease in January as base effects dominate.