Policy easing stepping up

The State Council has announced support measures totalling 1.7% of GDP. Most of this comprises incentives for banks to lend to struggling firms, rather than fiscal stimulus. The People’s Bank has also made a call for “all-out” efforts to boost lending, so this does constitute a meaningful policy shift. But the measures that have been detailed so far still fall some way short of what was implemented in 2020. Asia Drop-In (26th May, 0900 BST/16:00 SGT): Can Asia remain the low inflation exception? Join our 20-minute briefing about the region’s price and policy outlooks. Register here.