Eyes on Asian data amid US-China trade war

REGIONAL markets head into the end of May with a very different outlook from the one when the month started, with observers looking to this week's data releases in Asia for clues on growth prospects ahead.

Equities have rallied since the start of the year following 2018's fourth quarter sell-off with investors pricing in an amicable resolution to the US-China trade deal for the middle of 2019.

But all that changed when US President Donald Trump tweeted on May 5 about raising the tariff rate to 25 per cent for US$200 million of Chinese imports, saying the Chinese were reneging on certain aspects of the trade discussions.