Asia Economics Update Thailand's economic upswing still in good shape Thailand data published late last week and earlier today show that activity continues to expand at a brisk pace while inflation remains low. The GDP expansion should stay on track in 2011 and the... 1st November 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia's industrial slowdown unlikely to turn into a slump Manufacturing PMIs for Asia’s smaller economies and Australia generally declined further in October. The impact of tough external conditions in the US and Europe will continue to come through in... 1st November 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's cash rate still likely to move up soon Yesterday’s Q3 consumer price data from Australia were softer than the Reserve Bank (RBA) and consensus had expected. Inflation pressures are still likely to rise over the long run but the RBA would... 28th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Zealand still on track to lift rates in early 2011 The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ), to no-one’s surprise, today kept policy rates unchanged at 3.0%. In coming months, we expect that the activity data will surprise on the upside while the RBNZ... 28th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's growth to be slower but better balanced Data published today show that Korea’s GDP growth slowed in Q3. The economy will stay on a slow track for some time and in 2011 overall now looks set to expand at a sub-trend pace. Nevertheless, the... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines' debt rating upgrade looks close All of the three major ratings agencies have recently announced that the Philippines’ sovereign foreign debt is under review for possible upgrade. We expect that at least one of the three will upgrade... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore adjusts to more normal and sustainable growth Industrial production data released today in Singapore surprised on the upside and suggests that Q3 GDP will be revised to show a less severe drop when new figures are published in November. The... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand's monetary tightening still has further to go The Bank of Thailand (BoT) held its policy rate at 1.75% today but maintained a tightening bias. Domestic demand looks well placed to drive GDP growth, while the strong recovery should increasingly... 20th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rates to remain on hold in Sri Lanka The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) kept its policy rates on hold at today’s meeting, as expected. Inflation has ticked up in recent months but is unlikely to become a threat any time soon. For this... 19th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia targets reform ahead of fiscal consolidation The budget plans for 2011 announced in Malaysia late last week aim to ensure that the economic upswing continues and showed once again that the top priority was the implementation of new measures to... 18th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Tightening cycle in India nearly over Inflation data published today in India showed that price pressures are still high while the recent weakness in the industrial production figures is probably overstated. We expect that the Reserve... 15th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea focused on growth, but rates will still rise The Bank of Korea (BoK) held its policy rate at 2.25% today, as expected. The economy is losing some momentum but growth should not stall, while the won is climbing and is doing some of the... 14th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore tackles the inflation risk The currency war has yet to pull in Singapore. Data released today showed a large q/q annualised drop in Q3 GDP but the big surprise was the decision of the Monetary Authority of Singapore to tighten... 14th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update North Korea; probably the worst top job in the world Public appearances in recent days have confirmed that Kim Jong-eun, the youngest son of Kim Jong-iI, has become North Korea’s new leader-in-waiting. It is good news for the region that a leadership... 13th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What lies ahead for the Aussie dollar? The Australian dollar is close to hitting parity against the US dollar, a level last reached in mid-1982. Interest rate differentials will probably remain the main driver of where the exchange rate... 12th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Currency war in Emerging Asia; we are still not there yet We expect more intervention and FX reserves accumulation in Emerging Asia as well as further regulatory controls to curb capital inflow. However, the regional approach will most probably remain a... 11th October 2010 · 1 min read
