Asia Economics Update Thailand lowers policy rate, but further cuts unlikely Amid rising downside risks to growth, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) opted to cut its policy rate by 25bps today. With no clear sign that the political impasse will be resolved soon, we expect interest... 12th March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia’s rate hike around the corner Malaysia’s central bank (BNM) kept its policy rate unchanged at 3.0% today as expected, but with the economy gradually gaining a firmer footing, a 25bp rate hike is unlikely to be far away. 6th March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia’s economy set to slow in 2014 GDP growth in Australia accelerated in the final quarter of last year. Looking ahead, we expect the economy to lose momentum over the coming quarters, as the boom in mining investment continues to... 5th March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australian rates to stay on hold for now The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) held its cash rate at 2.5% today, as expected. For now, policy loosening looks to be off the agenda, but we suspect that a rate cut will be needed later in the year... 4th March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update PMIs point to gradual and uneven recovery The February PMIs for Emerging Asia point to a slight deterioration in the region's manufacturing conditions. The pullback in the new orders component suggests Asia's manufacturing recovery is likely... 3rd March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India’s road to recovery to remain bumpy Economic growth in India dipped in the final quarter of 2013, having picked up in Q3. Looking ahead,we continue to expect the economic recovery to remain slow and uneven. 28th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian currencies rebound, rupiah leads the way Following sharp falls in January, Asian currencies and equity markets have rebounded over the past month. Meanwhile, government bond yields have been broadly flat. 27th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia making progress in escaping middle income trap Malaysia has made decent progress in its bid to transition to high-income status by 2020. However, further reforms to enhance economic competitiveness are crucial to sustaining strong growth. 27th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korean government growth target unlikely to be met President Park Geun-hye’s plans to raise trend growth to 4% by 2017 are unlikely to succeed. In fact, we see trend growth in Korea slowing to around 2% over the next decade. 25th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore budget looks to the long term Today’s budget for the coming fiscal year targets a small surplus, which comes as no surprise given the reasonably upbeat short-term outlook for the economy and lingering concerns over inflation. But... 21st February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore's export outlook is upbeat, but it faces domestic drags Today’s GDP data showed that Singapore's economy ended 2013 on a strong note. Recovery in advanced economies should support growth this year, even as domestic factors act as drags. Given the healthy... 20th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India’s auto industry highlights weakness of domestic demand Domestic demand in India remains lacklustre, overshadowing the encouraging performance of exports. Trends in the auto industry provide a case in point, as healthy passenger vehicle exports have not... 18th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand’s economy to struggle amid unresolved political crisis Thailand’s economy was not as badly damaged by the outbreak of political unrest in Q4 last year as we had feared, but with the disruption escalating since late December, much worse probably lies ahead... 17th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia to keep rates on hold until 2015 Bank Indonesia (BI) today left interest rates on hold for a third consecutive month. With the rupiah showing signs of resilience, inflation likely to fall back in the second half of the year, and the... 13th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea in no rush to tighten monetary policy The Bank of Korea’s (BoK) decision to keep interest rates on hold for a ninth consecutive month comes against a background of weak price pressures. Looking ahead, with inflation set to remain subdued... 13th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India's policy options limited by stubborn inflation Today’s output and inflation data from India were, in each case, a little better than expected but they won’t drive away the dark cloud that hangs over the outlook for the economy. Industrial... 12th February 2014 · 1 min read
