Asia Stocks Fluctuate, Investors Focus on US PCE Data Release

Asian stocks swung between gains and losses following modest US gains on Friday, with investors turning focus to a slew of economic data ahead of an expected Federal Reserve interest-rate cut this month. And over the weekend, China's factory activity improved but remained in contraction in November, extending its streak of declines to a record as the country's economic slowdown deepens. The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index was 49.2, remaining below the 50 mark that separates growth and contraction for an eighth month. The median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg was 49.4. For more on the week ahead, we heard from Illiana Jain, Economist at Westpac International. She spoke to Bloomberg's Avril Hong and Shery Ahn on the Asia Trade. Plus - FII Priority Asia Summit is taking place in Tokyo and it brings together key leaders and policy makers from Saudi Arabia and Japan. The summit's focus will be on robotics, AI trade, and global supply chains. And we had the chance to hear from Rishi Kapoor, Vice Chair & CIO Investcorp. He spoke to Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Avril Hong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.