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Expansionary monetary policy maintained by most of the advanced economies will only have a small impact on inflation as long as the central banks are free from political constraints, the International Monetary Fund said in a new study on Tuesday. "Independent central banks reduce risk that policies to stimulate economy will ignite prices," the global lender said.

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Overall bank lending in Japan was up 1.9 percent on year in March, the Bank of Japan said on Wednesday, standing at 404.786 trillion yen.

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Overall credit card spending in New Zealand contracted 1.2 percent on month in March, Statistics New Zealand said on Wednesday - following the 0.8 percent decline in February.

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An index measuring the price of export items in South Korea was up 0.3 percent on month in March, the Bank of Korea said on Wednesday, standing at 94.68.

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China is on Wednesday scheduled to release March figures for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.

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Strong growth in the transport and refining sectors boosted the French manufacturing output in February, helping overall production to recover at a faster-than-expected pace. Industrial output grew 0.7 percent in February from a month ago, when it fell 0.8 percent, the statistical office Insee said Wednesday. Production was forecast to grow 0.2 percent.

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India's car sales are set to rise in the year ending March 2014 as economic growth gathers momentum, after sales recorded the sharpest fall in more than a decade in 2012-2013, data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers showed Wednesday.

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China unexpectedly reported a trade deficit for March amid a surge in imports and a weaker expansion in exports, official data showed Wednesday. Separately, Fitch Ratings downgraded the country's local currency sovereign rating on Tuesday, citing surging credit growth in the country. The General Administration of Customs said that the trade balance turned to a deficit of $884 million in March.

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Australia posted a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.6 percent in March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.

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Australia saw a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.6 percent in March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.

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