06.08.201918:00:00UTC+00New Zealand Interest Rate Decision On Tap For Wednesday

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will wrap up its monetary policy meeting on Wednesday and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.

The RBNZ is widely expected to trim its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points, to 1.25 percent from 1.50 percent.

Australia will release June figures for home loans, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 0.5 percent on month following the 0.1 percent dip in May. The value of loans is tipped to fall 1.0 percent after sliding 2.7 percent in the previous month.

Australia also will see July results for the Performance of Construction Index from the Australian Industry Group; in June, the index score was 43.0.

The central bank in Thailand will conclude its monetary policy meeting and then announce its decision on interest rates; the central bank is expected to leave its benchmark lending rate steady at 1.75 percent.

The Philippines will provide June numbers for imports, exports and trade balance. In May, imports were worth $9.43 billion and exports were at $6.15 billion for a trade deficit of $3.28 billion.