Asia markets poised to mostly rise as central bank decisions take the spotlight

Asia-Pacific markets are set to mostly climb on Monday, with investors looking to several major central back decisions due this week including the Bank of Japan and the People’s Bank of China.

The Federal Reserve’s decision on Dec. 18 stateside will also be top of mind for investors, with the CME Fedwatch tool forecasting a 96% chance of a 25-basis-points cut.

The BOJ is likely to hold rates when it releases its decision on Thursday, while the PBOC will announce its loan prime rates on Friday. The one-year LPR influences corporate loans and most household loans in China, while the five-year LPR serves as a benchmark for mortgage rates.

On Monday traders will be assessing an economic data dump out from China, including November numbers for industrial production, retail sales and home prices in the country.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 is set to rise, with the futures contract in Chicago at 39,740 and its counterpart in Osaka at 39,600 against the index’s last close of 39,470.44.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 started the day down 0.27%.

In contrast, futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 19,965, pointing to a slightly weaker open compared to the HSI’s close of 19,971.24.

On Friday in the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell for a seventh session on Friday, losing 0.2% and posting its longest run of losses since 2020.

On the other hand, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.12% and the broad-based S&P 500 ended the session little changed, closing at 6,051.09.

— CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Samantha Subin contributed to this report.