Asia Economics Update Election likely to entrench Malaysia’s problems Against the backdrop of a strong economy and with gerrymandering stacking the odds firmly in his favour, Prime Minister Najib Razak is highly likely to win an election which will now take place by May... 6th April 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka cuts rates, loosening will be gradual The central bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) today cut its lending rate by 25bp. While further monetary policy loosening looks likely against a backdrop of weak growth and easing inflation, aggressive rate... 4th April 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian equities down on protectionist fears Fears of a trade war between the US and China have weighed on Asian equities over the past month. In contrast, currency markets have been largely unaffected. 29th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rates to stay on hold in Thailand With the economy in good shape and inflationary pressures subdued, the Bank of Thailand unsurprisingly decided to keep its policy rate on hold today at 1.5%. The accompany statement reiterated that... 28th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Impact of KORUS changes is small Korea looks to have emerged from the Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS) re-negotiations unscathed, but rising trade tensions between the US and China remain a threat to its export sector. 26th March 2018 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Further rate cuts in Indonesia still likely Bank Indonesia (BI) left interest rates unchanged today, while also appearing to rule out further interest rate cuts. But with growth set to underperform and inflationary pressures under control, we... 22nd March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan’s central bank in no rush to adjust policy Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) decided to keep its policy rate on hold today at 1.375% against a backdrop of decent economic growth and subdued inflationary pressures. The familiar and dovish tone of the... 22nd March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippines central bank to look through inflation spike The Philippines central bank (BSP) decision to leave rates on hold today, despite this year’s jump in inflation, adds weight to our view that policy will remain on hold throughout 2018. This stands in... 22nd March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Pakistan: What to make of the latest fall in the rupee? The latest fall in the Pakistani rupee has once again put the spotlight on the country’s precarious balance of payments position. Pakistan will soon be forced to either let the currency weaken much... 20th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Growing threats to Korea’s export sector The near-term outlook for Korea’s export sector remains positive, but US protectionism and Chinese competition pose growing threats to the sector. 12th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update North Korea, Trump and South Korea’s economy Donald Trump’s decision to accept an invitation to visit North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, represents an extraordinary turn of events, and comes just a few months after the US president was calling... 9th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysian rates to stay on hold Malaysia’s central bank (BNM) kept its policy rate on hold at 3.25% today following a hike at its last meeting in January. With inflation slowing, growth likely to cool further and the currency strong... 7th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippines: Rate hikes unlikely despite rise in inflation Despite inflation rising to its highest rate in nearly four years in February, the central bank seems in little hurry to tighten monetary policy. We continue to believe that interest rates in the... 6th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Direct impact of US steel tariffs is small The imposition of US tariffs on steel and aluminium would have little direct impact on Asian economies. The bigger risk is that they represent the latest steps towards a damaging trade war. 2nd March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Are the good times over for Asian equities? Asian equities have recovered much of their losses over the second half of this month but a sustained rebound is unlikely. We expect most stock markets to only edge higher over the rest of the year. 28th February 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea on hold, for now The Bank of Korea (BoK) today unsurprisingly kept its policy rate on hold at 1.50% for its second straight meeting, and the accompanying statement and governor’s press conference suggest the central... 27th February 2018 · 1 min read
