Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka: monetary easing will depend on currency The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) left policy on hold today amid continued volatility in global financial markets. Given the poor outlook for the economy, the CBSL will want to resume its easing... 4th March 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Improving outlook in Pakistan prompts forecast upgrade The outlook for Pakistan’s economy is improving. Low virus cases, an easing of restrictions and a jump in the most recent activity data are prompting us to revise up our growth forecast for this year. 2nd March 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Time to worry about a repeat of the “taper tantrum”? Fears of a repeat of the 2013 “taper tantrum” look wide of the mark. But even if there was a return to the financial market turmoil of eight years ago, Asian economies are much better placed to cope. 25th February 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea set for extended hold The Bank of Korea (BoK) left its main policy rate on hold at 0.50% today in a unanimous decision, and while further rate cuts are now very unlikely, we expect more intervention in the government bond... 25th February 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Is the slow vaccine rollout a cause for concern? Asia’s vaccine rollout has got off to a slow start. This is not a big concern in countries that have contained the virus and where social distancing is not a drag on growth such as Taiwan and China... 23rd February 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia to cut rates once more this year Bank Indonesia (BI) today cuts its main policy rate by 25bps to 3.50% and revised down its forecast for the coming year. The central bank, however, also noted the room for rate cuts was “getting... 18th February 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Singapore to keep fiscal taps running Singapore today unveiled a budget that will keep fiscal policy loose for the coming fiscal year (April 2021-March 2022), while also attempting to address some of the long-term challenges facing the... 16th February 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Philippines: central bank has not finished easing yet The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) left its main policy rate on hold at 2.00% today, and while rising inflation means further easing isn’t likely in the near term, we still expect the central... 11th February 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Thailand to keep rates low for a long time The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left its policy rate unchanged at an all-time low of just 0.5% today and sounded more downbeat about the prospects for growth this year. The poor outlook for the economy... 3rd February 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Myanmar: the economic consequences of the coup Myanmar’s biggest investors and trading partners are its neighbours, notably China, which won’t respond to yesterday’s coup with sanctions. But the economic consequences could still be significant if... 2nd February 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia easing cycle not over Bank Indonesia (BI) today left its main policy rate unchanged at 3.75%, but we doubt this marks the end of the central bank’s easing cycle. With the economic recovery struggling, inflation below... 21st January 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia’s central bank still likely to ease Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) left its main policy rate on hold at 1.75% today, but with the country once again in lockdown following a surge in COVID-19 cases, we think that the Bank will eventually be... 20th January 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update A guide to political events in 2021 In this Update we take a look at the important elections and political events that are set to take place across Asia over the coming year as well as any potential flashpoints, assessing the... 20th January 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea set for extended hold The Bank of Korea (BoK) left its main policy rate on hold at 0.50% today in a unanimous decision, and with signs that the latest virus outbreak is coming under control, further rate cuts seem unlikely... 15th January 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: cutting our forecasts on new restrictions The decision by the Malaysian government to place the country under a two-week lockdown to slow the spread of the virus is likely to hit the economy hard. We are cutting our growth forecast for 2021... 12th January 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea: demographic “time bomb” to weigh on growth Korea’s population last year shrank for the first time in its history, underlining the seriousness of the demographic “time bomb” facing the country. The poor demographic outlook is the key reason why... 5th January 2021 · 5 mins read
