Asia Economics Update Bank of Thailand to lower rates further The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left its policy rate on hold at 0.5% today as expected. Given the deteriorating outlook for the economy and with two of the six MPC members voting for a rate cut, we now... 4th August 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia: further rate cuts unlikely despite virus surge Bank Indonesia (BI) left interest rates unchanged today at 3.5%, and despite the worsening near-term outlook caused by a surge in COVID-19 cases, the central bank made clear further cuts are unlikely... 22nd July 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea still on course for an August rate hike The Bank of Korea (BoK) left its main policy rate on hold at 0.50% today and signalled that a rate hike is still very much on the table this year. While the worsening virus situation has made things... 15th July 2021 · 4 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: rates to remain low for a long time The fact that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) left its policy rate on hold at 1.75% today despite the poor economic outlook means any further loosening is unlikely. But with the recovery set to be slow and... 8th July 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Philippines: rate cuts on the horizon The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) left its main policy rate on hold at 2.00% today, but with inflation fears receding, more rate cuts to support the beleaguered economy are only a few months... 24th June 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Thailand: policy rate on hold until at least end-2022 The Bank of Thailand (BoT) today left interest rates unchanged at their all-time low of just 0.5%, dovish comments from the press conference support our view that rates will be on hold for a long time... 23rd June 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Global demand peaking but shortages to stay There are tentative signs that global demand for Asian consumer goods has peaked. But with demand for key components still running well ahead of supply, shortages are likely to persist for some time... 21st June 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan: no rush to hike rates despite booming economy Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) left interest rates unchanged today at 1.125% despite the booming economy. With inflation relatively subdued and the currency at multi-year highs against the US dollar, we... 17th June 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia: policy to remain on hold for some time Bank Indonesia (BI) left its policy rate unchanged at 3.5% today and signalled that it was in no rush to adjust its monetary policy settings again this year. We expect rates to remain low to support... 17th June 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan: severe capacity constraints but few inflation fears Taiwan’s economy is struggling with severe capacity constraints but there are few signs in recent data that this is fuelling broad-based wage or price pressure. That’s a stark contrast with the US... 10th June 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: economic resilience in the face of lockdown Despite the worsening virus situation and the announcement of a “total lockdown”, Malaysia’s economy is likely to hold up relatively well, as booming exports offset the hit to private consumption. We... 31st May 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea unlikely to alter policy soon The Bank of Korea (BoK) left its main policy rate on hold at 0.50% today and given that the recovery still has a way to go, the BoK is likely to leave policy accommodative for at least the next few... 27th May 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia: rates to remain low for some time to come Bank Indonesia (BI) left interest rates unchanged at 3.5% today and signalled that it was in no rush to adjust its monetary policy settings again this year. We expect interest rates to remain low to... 25th May 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan: capacity constraints and global chip supply Taiwan’s economy is being buffeted by several apparently unconnected shocks – a drought, power outages and an outbreak of COVID-19. But they are all linked to severe capacity shortages resulting from... 21st May 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Learning to live with lockdowns Social distancing and the imposition of new restrictions in response to a surge in infections are weighing on economic activity across the region. But with manufacturing and construction sites... 20th May 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan: outbreak to weigh on consumption The first major outbreak of COVID-19 in Taiwan has triggered the first significant restrictions on activity. Consumer spending will suffer, but the rest of the economy should still perform strongly. 17th May 2021 · 2 mins read
