Asia Economics Weekly Singapore loosens restrictions, new markets forecasts Singapore announced a further loosening of containment measures this week but given that social distancing is no longer a major drag on the economy, they are unlikely to provide much of a boost to the... 26th March 2021 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea labour market improves, BSP dilemma The sharp drop in Korean unemployment last month suggests that the economy is bouncing back following a fall in COVID-19 infections and the easing of containment measures. Following GDP growth of 1.2%... 19th March 2021 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Philippines outlook worsens, Taiwan in the dock We are lowering our 2021 GDP growth forecast for the Philippines due to the worsening virus situation and the recent deterioration in the economic data. A rapid increase in foreign currency... 12th March 2021 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea’s latest fiscal stimulus, Philippines inflation Korea today announced that it was stepping up its support for the economy with a new supplementary budget worth 15trn won (around 0.8% of GDP). Government spending this year is now set to be 3% higher... 5th March 2021 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Financial market sell-off, impact of Biden stimulus The sell-off in Asian financial markets gathered pace today on the back of concerns that President Biden’s fiscal stimulus package could prompt the US Fed to start raising interest rates. We don’t... 26th February 2021 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly The Asian century, little to fear from higher oil prices We recently launched our new service, The Long Run, which includes detailed forecasts out to 2050 for 58 economies. One of the key points that comes out from the forecasts is that Emerging Asia is set... 19th February 2021 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Thai recovery facing headwinds Thailand’s economy has been staging a gradual recovery from the crisis, with GDP figures due next week likely to show the economy contracted by around 5.5% y/y last quarter, compared with a decline of... 10th February 2021 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Malaysia restrictions extended, new equity forecasts Malaysian GDP figures, due to be released on Thursday, are likely to show a sharp slowdown in the recovery in the final quarter of last year. The recovery is likely to go into reverse this quarter... 5th February 2021 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea recovery, new virus threats The latest batch of activity data from Korea indicate the economy held up well in December despite the surge in cases and suggest that companies are learning to cope better with new COVID-19... 29th January 2021 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Indonesia reforms, Vietnam leadership transition The near-term outlook for Indonesia’s economy is poor. A failure to contain the coronavirus means that the economic recovery is likely to be slow and fitful. But long-term economic prospects received... 22nd January 2021 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Indonesia’s vaccine strategy, rate cut likely in Malaysia Indonesia’s vaccination campaign got underway earlier this week amid surging cases of COVID-19 across the country. Whereas most countries are prioritising the elderly and vulnerable in vaccination... 15th January 2021 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Rapid growth in Vietnam, vaccine rollout begins GDP figures for Vietnam should always be treated with caution, but data released before New Year show that the economy grew by an impressive 4.5% y/y in the final quarter of 2020. This brought growth... 8th January 2021 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Fiscal policy in Sri Lanka, currency trouble in Thailand Although the crisis has led to a sharp rise in government debt, policymakers across Asia appear in little rush to tighten fiscal policy. The key exception is Sri Lanka, where a sharp tightening of... 18th December 2020 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Taiwan: central bank in little rush to raise rates Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) looks all but certain to leave its main policy rate unchanged at its current all-time low of 1.125% at its meeting on Thursday. With the economy performing well, there is a... 11th December 2020 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly New forecasts on positive vaccine developments The recent good news on vaccine development means that countries in Emerging Asia are likely to start inoculating their populations sooner than we had previously envisaged. In response, we are raising... 4th December 2020 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Property prices in Korea, Indonesia current account Rising property prices in Korea are increasingly rapidly again, but there is a little sign of a bubble forming. Affordability has gradually improved across the country in recent years. Even in Seoul... 27th November 2020 · 6 mins read
