Asia Economics Weekly Taiwan’s 2027 budget, Thai rates to stay low Plans in Taiwan’s 2027 budget for a sharp rise in defence spending may face some pushback from parliament, but proposals for an even larger rise in social welfare spending and a fresh round of cash... 21st August 2026 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Singapore’s AI boom, test for Bank Indonesia GDP figures published this week confirm that Singapore’s economy is booming, with growth being driven by the global AI investment cycle and surging demand for electronics. But the boom is not... 14th August 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly BoK hawkish as inflation eases across Asia Inflation in Korea fell in August, but hawkish minutes from the BOK’s July meeting suggest that further tightening is likely. While it will be a close call, we expect the next hike to come in October... 7th August 2026 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly BI independence concerns, SBP on hold Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo’s surprise resignation at the start of the week has raised further concerns over central bank independence, but markets have remained calm given the appointment... 31st July 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly New tariffs, Sri Lanka tightening cycle not over US tariffs on Asian economies are entering a new phase following the expiration of the 10% global surcharge under Section 122. This is being replaced with country-specific Section 301 duties, but... 24th July 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Singapore boom continues, hawkish Bank of Korea Singapore’s economy remained strong in Q2, with GDP growth of 5.7% y/y driven by a manufacturing boom linked to AI-related demand. However, with inflation staying low, we expect the Monetary Authority... 17th July 2026 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Bank of Korea to kick start tightening cycle A combination of above-target inflation, buoyant growth, a struggling currency, and rising property prices in Seoul all point to the Bank of Korea hiking rates by 25bp to 2.75% next week. We currently... 10th July 2026 · 4 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Strong growth in Vietnam as exports offset oil drag GDP figures published today show that Vietnam has brushed off the impact of the Iran war and the energy price shock, with growth unexpectedly accelerating on the back of strong exports. Although the... 3rd July 2026 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Good news for Indonesia, but investor concerns remain Indonesia has avoided an immediate MSCI downgrade from EM status, but its continued inclusion now depends on further progress in market reforms ahead of a November review. The decision is therefore a... 26th June 2026 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Indonesia back in the spotlight, hawkish central banks MSCI is expected to announce on Tuesday whether Indonesia will retain its emerging market status, with recent reforms and press reports suggesting that a downgrade to frontier market status is... 19th June 2026 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Outlook for Asian currencies hinges on US-Iran deal Asian currencies have rebounded on hopes of a US–Iran deal and lower oil prices. Stronger currencies would reduce the need for aggressive rate hikes by Asian central banks. 12th June 2026 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Inflation high but stabilising (mostly), turmoil in Indonesia May’s inflation data across Asia were mixed but broadly encouraging. While inflation remains well above pre-war levels in most economies, it generally stabilised last month. We expect most central... 5th June 2026 · 4 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly BoK’s tightening cycle to be gradual, Taiwan boom continues Although the Bank of Korea struck a hawkish tone yesterday, today’s weak activity data and the challenging outlook for domestic demand suggest that any tightening cycle is likely to be gradual... 29th May 2026 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Bank Indonesia hikes, who will be next? Bank Indonesia delivered an unexpected 50bps rate hike earlier, driven primarily by concerns over rupiah weakness. We now see a further 50bps of tightening by end-2026. Attention now turns to meetings... 22nd May 2026 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly BI meets amid rupiah weakness, Malaysia’s resilience While it is likely to be a close call, we expect Bank Indonesia to keep policy rates unchanged at its upcoming meetings despite rupiah weakness, preferring instead to rely on FX intervention to... 15th May 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Stimulus in Thailand, Korean inflation under control Thailand is launching a 400bn baht (2% of GDP) stimulus to cut living costs and boost renewables, though the spending risks pushing public debt towards—and potentially through—the government’s 70% of... 8th May 2026 · 5 mins read
