For the week ahead in Asia, the calendar is stacked with growth and trade prints, as well as a run of central-bank decisions and inflation updates.

The week kicks off with Japan and Thailand's fourth-quarter GDP prints alongside a slate of Indian releases including trade, unemployment, and wholesale inflation.

On Tuesday, markets will parse the Reserve Bank of Australia minutes after its February hike, while Wednesday brings the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's policy decision, plus Japan's trade figures and industrial production.

Thursday will see interest rate decisions in Indonesia and the Philippines, while Malaysia publishes January inflation data and Australia releases labor market stats the same day.

The week wraps Friday with Japan's inflation report, New Zealand's trade figures, and S&P Global's flash PMI readings for multiple economies.

Here's what to watch in the week ahead.

MONDAY, Feb. 16

The week kicked off with the release of Japan's fourth-quarter GDP figures.

Japan's economy rebounded in the closing months of 2025, growing at a seasonally adjusted rate of 0.1% quarter-on-quarter and 0.2% on an annualized basis, according to the first preliminary government data released Monday.

Domestic demand saw an annualized rise of 0.1% while private consumption, accounting for over half of Japan's GDP, increased by 0.4%.

Thailand also released its fourth-quarter GDP data, noting a 2.5% year-on-year rise in the last three months of 2025. The pace of growth was above the 1.3% consensus forecast compiled by the Wall Street Journal.

Singapore released January trade figures.

The city state's non-oil domestic exports or NODX, grew 9.3% year over year in January, sharper than the 6.1% increase in the previous month. Non-oil re-exports or the NORX surged by 51.4% year over year during the month following a 15% increase in December.

Total exports were up 30.4% in January, compared to a 10.6% rise in the previous month. Meanwhile, total imports rose by 16.6% after a 14.2% increase in the previous month.

On the activity front, New Zealand's latest BusinessNZ Performance of Services Index (PSI) showed the services sector continued to expand in January, but at a slower pace amid post-holiday softness and rising costs.

The BusinessNZ PSI for the month fell to 50.9 in January from 51.7 in the previous month. A reading above the 50-point mark points to expansion.

The seasonally adjusted BusinessNZ Performance of Composite Index showed both its GDP-weighted and free-weighted indices in expansion in January, standing at 51.4 and 52.5, respectively.

A flurry of macro data from India is expected later Monday, including trade figures, unemployment stats, and wholesale price inflation.

India's trade deficit is expected to widen to $26.14 billion from the $25 billion recorded in December, according to a consensus compiled by Trading Economics.

Earlier February, India entered a preliminary trade agreement with the U.S. to cut or remove tariffs on all US industrial goods, lower duties on a broad range of farm and food products, including tree nuts, fruits, soybean oil, wine, and spirits, and provide preferential access in selected sectors to facilitate smoother trade.

Also due will be Japan's industrial production figures.

TUESDAY, Feb. 17

Bond traders will be dissecting the Reserve Bank of Australia's meeting minutes for context around its unanimous decision to raise the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 3.85% at its February meeting.

According to the RBA, inflation picked up in the second half of last year, reflecting greater capacity pressures, and is expected to remain above target for some time.

Earlier this month, IFM Chief Economist Alex Joiner reportedly said the country is in a "period of rising", and high official cash rates will extend for some time.

"The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) [doesn't] have the trimmed mean measure of inflation back at the mid-point until after June 2028, even with a cash rate assumption above 4%," Joiner reportedly said.

Neighboring New Zealand will report January food inflation.

Both Westpac and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia said they expected to see a rise in food prices but differed on their estimates.

Westpac said it expected a 1.2% rise in food prices related to seasonal increases in the prices for fresh produce and meat, while CommBank said it expected food inflation to clock in at roughly 1.5%.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will meet for its interest rate decision, with markets expecting no change to the official cash rate (OCR) of 2.25%, according to a consensus compiled by Trading Economics.

New Zealand's central bank, which has been gradually reducing interest rates since the middle of 2024, could signal earlier-than-previously-forecast rate increases as it acknowledges inflation remains too high, Westpac said.

According to Westpac, the central bank may pull forward its interest-rate projections to flag a chance of hikes beginning in December 2026, versus prior forecasts that did not show increases until 2027. However, excess capacity, tighter financial conditions and moderating food and fuel inflation could keep the bank from moving quickly.

Japan's January trade figures are due the same day.

Analysts expect Japan to post a trade deficit of 2.142 trillion yen for the month, swinging from a surplus of 105.7 billion yen in December, according to a consensus compiled by Trading Economics.

Economists at ING said they expect trade figures to show that global chip demand remains "robust" and that Asian exporters would be its beneficiaries. The bank is forecasting a trade deficit of 500 billion yen for the month on the back of high exports during the month.

THURSDAY, Feb. 19

Interest rate decisions in Indonesia and the Philippines will capture headlines on Thursday.

Trading Economics expects the Philippines' central bank to reduce its interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.25%. Sharing that view, economists at ANZ said an easing move could stabilize domestic demand, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In contrast, analysts at UOB said Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas could afford to be patient at its meeting after it signaled previously its current monetary easing cycle was nearing an end, according to the Wall Street Journal report.

Meanwhile, Bank Indonesia is expected to hold interest rates steady at 4.75% according to forecasts from Trading Economics and UOB.

January inflation data will be due in Malaysia, with analysts at Barclays expecting the pace of price increase to slow to a rate of 1.5% year on year from the 1.6% reported in December, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Markets will also be on the lookout for labor data coming in from Australia. Analysts broadly expect January unemployment to climb marginally to 4.2% from the 4.1% recorded in December, according to a consensus compiled by Trading Economics.

"We do not see recent data as clearly signalling a 're-tightening' just yet. Instead, it more likely reflects an economy that had a solid finish to the year overlaid with a dose of monthly noise," Westpac said in a preview.

The Reuters Tankan Index for January, a key gauge of Japanese business confidence, will be due the same day. Japan will simultaneously report its December machinery order figures.

FRIDAY, Feb. 20

Markets will turn their attention to January inflation data coming in from Japan.

Economists at ING expect inflation to "cool quite sharply" to 1.5% year-on-year in January from the 2.1% reported in December, thanks to energy subsidies and stabilization of food prices.

"We expect inflation to slow down further in the coming months," ING said in a preview.

Both New Zealand and Malaysia will report January trade figures.

Analysts at Barclays expect Malaysia's trade surplus to have narrowed despite export momentum during the month, the Wall Street Journal reported. Trading Economics expects Malaysia's trade surplus to narrow to 4.1 billion Malaysian ringgit from the 19.3 billion Malaysian ringgit recorded in December.

Meanwhile, analysts expect New Zealand to post a trade deficit of NZ$745 million compared to the $52 million surplus in December, according to a consensus compiled by Trading Economics.

Westpac, which is forecasting a deficit of NZ$860 million, said it was attributing the reversal to a seasonal drop in exports from elevated levels in December.

On the activity front, S&P Global will release flash PMI readings covering manufacturing, services, and composite activity in Australia, India, and Japan.

Hong Kong's unemployment data for January will be released on the same day.