"The market is waiting for a new engine: investors focus on US retail data and Wal Mart's financial report, and the Asia Pacific stock market is in shock."

Newspaper (Asia Pacific) - As the impact of the positive news that pushed the market up earlier this week gradually faded, global investors are turning their attention to new market drivers, especially the upcoming US retail sales data and Wal Mart's financial report. The market's assessment of the resilience of the US economy and consumer confidence will be the focus of attention in the near future.

On Thursday (May 15th), the Asia Pacific stock market trend was relatively mild with limited volatility. At the same time, the performance of major European stock index futures has diverged, and the market as a whole maintains a cautious sentiment. Investors are increasingly concerned about the potential impact of uncertain trade policies led by US President Trump as they reassess the global economic growth outlook.

In the US market, the three major stock indexes performed differently on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2%, the S&P 500 index rose slightly by 0.1%, and the Nasdaq index performed strongly, recording a 0.7% increase.

The market generally regards Wal Mart's financial report as an important window to observe the response of the U.S. retail industry and enterprises to the tariff policy. As a key representative of the US consumer market, Wal Mart still maintained its previous positive expectations for the full year's performance, and stressed last month that the current macro environment did not have a material impact on the company's strategy. If the company adjusts its position in the latest financial report, it may have an impact on market sentiment.

In addition, the retail sales data for April in the United States will also be released on the same day, and the market generally predicts that this indicator will remain stable on the basis of last month. Given the significant proportion of consumer spending in the US economy, this data result will provide direct clues to the market regarding the driving force of economic expansion. Once the data falls short of expectations, it may strengthen market concerns about an economic slowdown or even a recession.

Investors will also pay attention to the upcoming speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The market expects it to continue maintaining a cautious attitude towards monetary policy and reiterates that the current interest rate policy is centered around "patience", as recent inflation and growth data are not yet sufficient to support a policy shift.

On the other hand, the UK and the eurozone will release initial GDP values for the first quarter, but due to the time span before Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement, the market's attention to it is limited.

In the foreign exchange market, the Korean won fluctuated significantly against the US dollar for the second consecutive day. Market rumors suggest that South Korea's Deputy Finance Minister held talks with US Treasury officials earlier this month regarding foreign exchange issues, sparking speculation among investors about future policy directions.

The recent significant fluctuations in the New Taiwan Dollar have refocused the market on whether the Trump administration will push for a weaker dollar through bilateral negotiations to improve trade imbalances.

Today's key market catalysts include: | | | UK Q1 GDP preliminary value | | | Eurozone Q1 GDP preliminary value | | | US April retail sales data | | | Walmart financial report | | | Federal Reserve Chairman Powell's speech