Asia Economics Weekly Asia: how will central banks respond to high energy prices? Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the two central banks in Asia most likely to raise rates if energy prices remain elevated for a prolonged period. In contrast, Taiwan and Korea will be in little hurry to... 13th March 2026 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly A stagflationary shock for Asia Higher oil prices from the Middle East conflict would act as a terms-of-trade shock for Asia’s largely energy-importing economies, squeezing households and firms and slowing growth. Inflation would... 6th March 2026 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly IEEPA ruling, Taiwan’s surging surplus Recent US tariff adjustments have led to a fall in rates for Asian countries, and on average they remain lower than China’s. However, the relative advantage over Chinese manufacturers has diminished... 27th February 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Bank of Thailand to cut again, Asia and the AI boom We will be holding an online briefing on Wednesday to discuss the region’s long-term economic outlook out until 2050. You can register by clicking here. We expect the Bank of Thailand to cut rates at... 20th February 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Singapore’s AI budget, election round-up Singapore’s 2026 budget, which was announced on Thursday, signals a modest fiscal loosening for the coming year. The budget also placed significant emphasis on positioning the economy for the AI... 13th February 2026 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Indonesia’s GDP rebound, Asian elections in focus Q4 GDP growth in Indonesia surprised on the upside at 5.4% y/y, the fastest pace since 2022 and a rare break from the strikingly narrow growth range seen over the past two years. However, given... 6th February 2026 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly How a weaker US dollar affects Asia The US dollar has weakened sharply this year, but the move remains too small so far to have a meaningful macro impact. Even if dollar weakness were to persist, the effects on Asia should be limited... 30th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Vietnam Congress, Korean equities, Bangladesh election Vietnam’s 14th Party Congress concluded today with the swift reappointment of To Lam to a full five-year term. His continuation in office should support a return to greater political stability and... 23rd January 2026 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Taiwan: US trade deal and TSMC earnings add to optimism The trade deal struck between Taiwan and the US, alongside another bumper earnings report from TSMC, strengthens our conviction that Taiwan will record another year of rapid GDP growth in 2026. 16th January 2026 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Philippines budget, Vietnam booming, geopolitical shifts The Philippines’ 2026 fiscal budget, recently approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr., points to a sharp fall in infrastructure spending as the corruption scandal continues to weigh on the economy... 9th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Key calls for 2026, SBP resumes its easing cycle This week we released our latest quarterly Asia Economic Outlook. The key takeaway is that, with growth set to remain solid, easing cycles are likely to come to an end next year. In a separate... 19th December 2025 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly BoT meets amid border clashes, Taiwan’s export boom The Bank of Thailand is likely to restart its easing cycle next week, against a backdrop of weak activity, deflation, an appreciating currency, and political/geopolitical uncertainty. Meanwhile... 12th December 2025 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Asian easing cycles have further to run Tropical storms have caused disruption in Southeast Asia but should have only a modest economic impact and won’t sway upcoming policy meetings. GDP growth in the Philippines has slowed sharply as a... 5th December 2025 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Taiwan defence spending boost, Sri Lanka rates on hold Taiwan’s President William Lai this week unveiled a TWD1.25trn (4.5% of GDP) special defence budget but it is likely that this will be watered down by the opposition-controlled parliament. Even if it... 28th November 2025 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly BI independence concerns resurface, Philippines corruption The invitation extended to Indonesia’s finance minister this week to attend monetary policy meetings is not unheard of among global central banks, but the move will reinforce concerns that BI’s... 21st November 2025 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly BoK minutes, Malaysia Q3 GDP, Korean defence boost The Bank of Korea’s latest minutes show the central bank has become more upbeat on the near-term growth outlook and more concerned about rising property prices in Seoul. This reinforces our view that... 14th November 2025 · 7 mins read
