Asia Economics Update The earthquake threat to Taiwan’s chip supply Taiwan’s chip industry has invested heavily in making its facilities resilient to earthquakes. Disruption to production is unavoidable when a large earthquake strikes, but firms are usually able to... 3rd April 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Manufacturing PMIs & Korea Trade (Mar.) The PMIs from Emerging Asia remained weak in March. We think manufacturing sectors across most of Asia will struggle in the near term but activity in Korea and Taiwan is likely to remain strong. 1st April 2024 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka: easing cycle has further to go The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today cut interest rates by a further 50bps and hinted at further rate cuts to come. With inflationary pressures under control and the economic recovery struggling, more... 26th March 2024 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan: surprise hike unlikely to be followed by further tightening Despite the booming economy, inflationary pressures in Taiwan are likely to remain subdued. Accordingly, we think today’s unexpected rate hike by the central bank (CBC) will prove to be a case of one... 21st March 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Would Vietnam win a second trade war? Donald Trump’s threat to impose a blanket 10% tariff on all US imports would hit Vietnam hard. But provided they were accompanied by a 60% tariff on all imports from China (as Trump has also threated)... 18th March 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Manufacturing PMIs & Korean trade The February PMIs for economies in Emerging Asia edged down last month and were mostly inside contractionary territory. The outlook for manufacturing in the region remains poor in the near term, with... 1st March 2024 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea to cut rates in May The Bank of Korea left its policy rate on hold today (at 3.5%) and attempted to push back against expectations for an early rate cut. However, with inflation likely to be back to target soon and... 22nd February 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea: property downturn at an end After a couple of years in the doldrums, property construction in Korea is rebounding. The recovery in the sector should provide an important prop to economic growth this year. 20th February 2024 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Pakistan: election result bad news for the economy Pakistan’s general election has thrown the country’s political scene into turmoil, with no party emerging with a majority from Thursday’s poll. A hung parliament may complicate the country’s upcoming... 9th February 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Manufacturing PMIs & Korea Trade (Jan.) The PMI data for Emerging Asia offered some encouraging signs but remained quite weak overall for most economies. While parts of the region are likely to see an improvement in activity, we expect... 1st February 2024 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Monetary easing in Singapore likely in April The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) kept monetary policy settings unchanged today but weaker growth and easing concerns about inflation are likely to prompt the central bank to loosen policy in... 29th January 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka: easing cycle not over yet The Central Bank of Sri Lanka left its deposit rate on hold (at 9.00%) today, and gave no hints at what its next move would be. However, with inflation set to remain low and growth likely to struggle... 23rd January 2024 · 2 mins read
Asset Allocation Update What Taiwan’s election could mean for markets This Update discusses how we think Taiwan’s election this weekend – which could be another flashpoint in Taiwan-China relations – might affect global equity markets, in aggregate and across some key... 12th January 2024 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Update Dovish signals from the BoK supports case for early rate cuts The Bank of Korea left its policy rate on hold today (at 3.5%), but struck a more dovish tone than after previous meetings. With inflation on the way down and growth likely to struggle over the coming... 11th January 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update What happens after Taiwan's election? China may respond to a victory for Tsai Ing-wen’s chosen successor in Saturday’s presidential election in Taiwan with stepped-up military drills. But any economic sanctions would almost certainly be... 10th January 2024 · 6 mins read
Climate Economics Update Clearing the air on the economics of pollution Given the thick smog covering parts of South Asia, forcing schools to shut down and disrupting activity, this Update takes a closer look into the economics of air pollution. In light of the... 8th January 2024 (Updated 18th November 2024) · 3 mins read
