Asia Economics Update India cuts effective policy rate The decision by India’s central bank to cut the interest rate on its Marginal Standing Facility (MSF), which it describes as a “calibrated withdrawal of exceptional measures”, equates to a further... 7th October 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update September PMIs suggest manufacturing may have turned a corner The September PMIs for Emerging Asia show that manufacturing conditions have improved, with the headline number increasing in all six economies. Moreover, a broad-based rise in the new orders... 1st October 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia’s central bank still likely to cut again The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its policy rate on hold at 2.5% today. However, we still expect further loosening over the coming months, and think that rates will remain very low in 2014. 1st October 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update No rush to hike rates in Taiwan Taiwan’s central bank left interest rates on hold today amid signs of a gradual improvement in the economy. Looking ahead, with inflation set to remain subdued, the CBC has scope to keep interest... 26th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Vietnam set for slow recovery in wake of banking crisis GDP data released today show that Vietnam’s economy remains weak in the wake of a banking crisis, which has led to a credit crunch. The woes of the financial sector look set to weigh on the economy... 25th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Emerging Asia Markets Monitor (Sep.) Asian currencies and equity markets have rebounded strongly over the past month. The biggest gains have been in those countries that were hardest hit by the sell-off in August. Bond yields have fallen... 24th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Zealand set for a solid rebound New Zealand’s economy slowed in Q2, as drought hit agricultural and manufacturing production. However, there were encouraging signs of improvement in other areas of the economy, which bodes well for... 19th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India’s inflation data keep RBI in a bind India’s most closely-watched inflation measure rose further in August, underlining the challenges faced by the Reserve Bank’s (RBI) new governor, Raghuram Rajan, when the economy is obviously... 16th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update GDP growth to remain strong in Sri Lanka GDP growth in Sri Lanka accelerated in y/y terms in the second quarter due mainly to a surge in construction spending. We expect the economy to continue to grow strongly for the rest of the year... 13th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia to keep monetary policy tight Bank Indonesia (BI) today unexpectedly hiked interest rates in response to continued weakness in the rupiah. Looking ahead, even if the currency starts to recover soon, monetary policy will still need... 12th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rates on hold in the Philippines, but hikes likely next year With no sign that strong economic growth is feeding through into higher consumer price inflation, the central bank in the Philippines (BSP), as expected, opted to keep interest rates unchanged today... 12th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korean rates set for prolonged hold The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept interest rates on hold today amid signs that the economy is starting to recover. Looking ahead, with inflation set to remain subdued, we think the central bank will keep... 12th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Zealand rate hike still looks some way off The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) kept its policy rate unchanged at 2.5% today. A rate hike is likely in 2014, but tightening is unlikely to be aggressive. 11th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Central bank in Malaysia to hike rates next year Malaysia’s central bank (BNM) kept its policy rate unchanged at 3.0% at its meeting today. We expect the BNM to keep rates on hold for the rest of the year before hiking by 25bp as it looks to reduce... 5th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What should we make of India’s latest reforms? The new governor of India’s central bank has arrived with a package of reforms that should settle the nerves of investors. However, the government has not been playing its part, making little progress... 5th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia’s mining slowdown is inevitable Australia’s GDP growth remained slightly below trend in Q2. We expect growth to slow further over the coming quarters as the economy struggles to cope with cooling mining investment. 4th September 2013 · 1 min read
