Asia Economics Weekly August rate hike in Korea, Indonesia outbreak We were already more hawkish that the consensus in expecting a rate hike in Korea this year, but recent comments by the central bank and strong economic data mean we are shifting forward our forecast... 25th June 2021 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Update Philippines: rate cuts on the horizon The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) left its main policy rate on hold at 2.00% today, but with inflation fears receding, more rate cuts to support the beleaguered economy are only a few months... 24th June 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Korea Trade (1st – 21st June) Korean export values look set to dip in June after a record high in May. We suspect goods export values have peaked. 21st June 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly BoK hawkish, vaccine hopes, Singapore trade softens Policymakers in Korea have started to sound increasingly hawkish about the outlook for monetary policy, supporting our view that the Bank of Korea will begin raising interest rates before the end of... 18th June 2021 · 9 mins read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia: policy to remain on hold for some time Bank Indonesia (BI) left its policy rate unchanged at 3.5% today and signalled that it was in no rush to adjust its monetary policy settings again this year. We expect rates to remain low to support... 17th June 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Korea Trade (1st – 10th June) Korean export values dipped a little at the start of June after a record high in May, but external shipments remain well above their pre-crisis level and should continue to boost GDP growth. 11th June 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea vaccinations surge, Philippines rate cuts loom A surge in vaccinations in Korea has brightened the prospects for the consumer recovery and strengthened our view that the central bank will be able to begin tightening monetary policy this year. In... 4th June 2021 · 5 mins read
Asia Data Response Korea Trade (May) Korean export values surged to an all-time high in May, suggesting that the external sector will drive GDP higher once again this quarter. 1st June 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (May) The May PMIs softened slightly but were still mainly consistent with improvements in manufacturing sectors. Strong global demand for electronics will continue to support output over the next few... 1st June 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: economic resilience in the face of lockdown Despite the worsening virus situation and the announcement of a “total lockdown”, Malaysia’s economy is likely to hold up relatively well, as booming exports offset the hit to private consumption. We... 31st May 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Focus Rate hikes coming in Korea as recovery gathers momentum With the economy rebounding strongly from the crisis, the Bank of Korea (BoK) is starting to shift its attention away from supporting growth and towards containing financial risks. We expect the BoK... 31st May 2021 · 10 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Oil prices and inflation, fiscal support in Taiwan Fuel price inflation across Emerging Asia will drop back over the coming months as last year’s low base starts to drop out of the annual comparison. With large output gaps set to keep underlying price... 28th May 2021 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea unlikely to alter policy soon The Bank of Korea (BoK) left its main policy rate on hold at 0.50% today and given that the recovery still has a way to go, the BoK is likely to leave policy accommodative for at least the next few... 27th May 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Chart Pack Locking down The economic outlook for much of Emerging Asia has deteriorated in recent weeks in response to a sudden jump in COVID-19 infections. Daily cases are surging in Thailand and Malaysia, and while the... 26th May 2021 · 14 mins read
Asia Data Response Singapore GDP (Q1, Revised) Revised Q1 GDP data show that Singapore’s economy grew more strongly than first thought at the start of 2021. While a resurgence in virus cases is likely to drag on GDP this quarter, this headwind... 25th May 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Korea Trade (1st – 20th May) Korean export values are likely to surge to an all-time high this month. A buoyant external sector looks set to prop up GDP again this quarter. 21st May 2021 · 3 mins read
