Asean-China meeting on S. China Sea

The 12th senior officials' meeting on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) will be held today in Vietnam.

During the meeting, China and Asean members will exchange views on the implementation of the DOC and the building of a code of conduct in the disputed sea.

The last meeting was held in Singapore in April.

Figures on US jobless claims

The poor jobs report last week has put the spotlight back on the United States job market and today's jobless claim figures will be closely scrutinised.

Analysts expect the number of claims to hover around 270,000 and figures in excess of this number could well point to a further slowdown in the world's largest economy.

China's inflation data

After the steady set of trade data from China yesterday, the world's second-largest economy will release its inflation figures for last month today.

Inflation is expected to remain stable, although a drop could signify further falls in consumer sentiment.