Asia Economics Update New Zealand rates to rise this week but a pause is close Economic growth in New Zealand will probably fall short of what the Reserve Bank (RBNZ), and the consensus, currently expect. The cash rate is virtually certain to move up this week but the tightening... 26th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia capital inflows hostage to worries on growth Since May, foreigners have returned to being large net buyers of all the Asian stock markets where flows data are available, with the exceptions of Thailand and the Philippines. We continue to expect... 19th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia goes to the polls early It was announced over the weekend that Australia will hold Federal elections on 21st August. The main campaign issues will be the mining tax, climate change policy, and the stance toward asylum... 19th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippine rates to stay on hold for a while The Philippines’ central bank (BSP) kept policy rates on hold at 4.0% today. This was expected by the consensus although we had thought there might be a hike. The economic upswing should stay on track... 15th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India to hike rates again soon Recent India data show that inflation pressures remain acute and that the economic upswing is still broadly on track. Further monetary tightening is only a matter of time. It is almost certain that... 14th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand plays catch-up The Bank of Thailand (BoT) raised its policy rate by 25bp to 1.5% today, as expected. The social unrest has inflicted little damage on the economy while inflation is set to rise. Today’s move is not a... 14th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore to lead growth in Asia Preliminary Q2 GDP data from Singapore, released today, were stunningly strong yet again. Economic growth will ease during the rest of 2010 but domestic demand should limit the downside. The Singapore... 14th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia shows its confidence in the upswing Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) raised its policy rate today by 25bp, as we had expected. Today’s move shows that the authorities see the local economic upswing as being sustainable and likely to stay... 8th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's monetary tightening has further to go The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) held its cash rate at 4.50% today, as expected. The external risks have increased but the RBA is still upbeat about the local outlook. GDP growth is forecast to... 6th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia set to hike rates later this year Bank Indonesia (BI) left rates at 6.50% today, as expected. The economic upswing will stay strong but the high level of the rupiah is helping to hold down prices. Nevertheless, inflation will probably... 5th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update More India rate hikes on the way Today’s unscheduled Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rate hikes are a sensible and not unwelcome move. India’s economic upswing is strong and price pressures are already uncomfortably high. Further... 2nd July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia's industrial sector recovery is losing some power Manufacturing PMIs in emerging Asia and Australia moved lower in June. The recent explosive growth in industrial production will inevitably slow in coming months as the boost from inventory re... 1st July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand to start monetary tightening in Q3 Bank of Thailand (BoT) monthly indicators for May suggest that the hit to the economy from the violence in Bangkok has not been too severe, which is what we expected would be the case. Exports and... 1st July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan targets closer ties with China A so-called Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement (ECFA) was approved yesterday between Taiwan and China. The deal should increase trade and for Taiwan there are two major implications. Firstly... 30th June 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Crisis in North to increase Korean re-unification costs The Bank of Korea (BoK) released its latest annual estimates of the North’s economy late last week. In short, the North-South income gap remains massive. The shift away from free market reform in the... 29th June 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore still firing on all cylinders Strong April-May industrial output data suggest that Singapore will post another stunning q/q annualised GDP gain when the Q2 figures are released by mid-July. Even Singapore cannot keep this up but... 29th June 2010 · 1 min read
