Asia Economics Update Who is most vulnerable to high oil prices? India and Thailand would struggle most within Asia if oil prices were to remain at their current level. China is less reliant on oil than most in the region. In general, Asia’s strong growth would... 24th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand set for strong growth Today’s Q4 GDP data for Thailand show that the economy returned to q/q growth at the end of last year, as expected. Growth is likely to pick up during the course of this year, led by strengthening... 21st February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Vietnam's base rate hike a step in the right direction Vietnam’s central bank hiked its policy rate by a larger-than-expected 200bp to 11% today, which follows on from last week’s devaluation of the dong against US dollar. It appears that policymakers are... 17th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore to focus on tackling inflation Q4 GDP figures were revised lower today, as expected, but the economy nonetheless grew by a spectacular 14.5% in 2010 as a whole. GDP growth is likely to be robust this year and will increase the... 17th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India's inflation still warrants further tightening Yesterday’s wholesale prices data show headline inflation is falling. But inflation remains too high for comfort so we continue to expect the Reserve Bank (RBI) to raise rates by a further 50bp by mid... 15th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's central bank bides its time The Bank of Korea (BoK) unexpectedly held its policy rate at 2.75% today. Nonetheless, core inflation has surged and looks set to climb further while GDP growth should pick up too. The upshot is that... 11th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Vietnam still needs to do much more Vietnam’s central bank today devalued the reference rate for the dong by around 9%. The move was bigger than expected but long overdue. To be a success, today’s adjustment has to be complemented soon... 11th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rate hikes in the Philippines only a matter of time The Philippines’ central bank (BSP) kept its policy rate unchanged at 4.0% today, as expected. We are sticking with our long-held view that rates need to move up this year to ensure that inflation... 10th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India stocks still look good for the long term Indian equities have fallen sharply since mid-November and the pain will probably continue for a few more months yet. Nevertheless, we anticipate that the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy tightening... 10th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka still likely to tighten policy this year The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) kept its policy rates unchanged at today’s meeting, as expected. The upswing will probably stay strong while inflation is likely to accelerate in coming months. We... 8th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia's upswing set to stay in good shape Q4 GDP data for Indonesia, published today, were stronger than expected. The upswing will almost certainly remain impressive, with domestic demand leading the way. Government bonds will continue to... 7th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia makes the right move Bank Indonesia today hiked its reference rate by 25bp to 6.75%. This is what we expected would happen, but was a surprise to the consensus. More hikes are on the way, and soon. We continue to... 4th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia's industrial sector is gaining some traction, for now Manufacturing PMIs for January, released today and yesterday, improved in India and Taiwan and stayed above the key 50 level which signals expansion in Korea and Singapore. Manufacturing in Asia looks... 1st February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore on course to tighten policy further Q4 employment data for Singapore, published yesterday, were strong. What’s more, the 2011 budget due in mid-February will probably focus on handouts to low-income groups, measures to lift productivity... 1st February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's monetary policy tightening is not over The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) held its cash rate at 4.75% today, as was universally expected. Low inflation and the uncertainty created by the floods disaster are likely to keep the RBA on the... 1st February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand political risks should fall this year Monthly indicators for December released at the end of last week and today underline that Thailand’s economy is now regaining momentum. The main threat to the economic outlook is an increase in... 31st January 2011 · 1 min read
