Asia Economics Weekly No need to panic over rapid credit growth in the Philippines The recent acceleration in credit growth in the Philippines is unlikely to lead the central bank (BSP) to hike interest rates at its meeting on Thursday. However, it could prompt the BSP to introduce... 16th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly China credit bubble is biggest risk facing Emerging Asia Many of the risks facing Emerging Asia’s economies have receded in recent months. The key exception is the continued rapid build-up of debt in China. A bursting of China’s credit bubble would have... 9th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Policy rates to remain low for longer than consensus expects The region’s rate cutting cycle has come to an end, but with inflation set to remain fairly subdued, interest rates are likely to remain low for some time yet. 2nd June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Credit bubbles – where do the risks lie? We have been arguing for some time that Emerging Asia’s current credit binge is unsustainable, and that credit growth in a number of countries will need to slow for a crisis to be avoided... 26th May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Time to worry about another slowdown in China? Economic growth in Emerging Asia picked up again in the first quarter of the year, thanks largely to stronger export demand. The slowdown that now appears to be underway in China is unlikely to derail... 19th May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Can Moon defuse Korea’s demographic “time bomb”? One of the biggest challenges facing South Korea’s newly elected president, Moon Jae-in, is the country’s dreadful demographic outlook. Although there are steps the new government could take to boost... 12th May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly TPP “minus US” – is it worth the bother? Even without the US, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could still provide a decent boost to the four countries from Emerging Asia included in the deal. The risk is that without the carrot of access... 5th May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Pakistan – improved performance unlikely to last A combination of loose monetary policy and increased infrastructure spending related to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) should push up growth in Pakistan to its fastest pace in over a... 28th April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Philippines – current account deficit no cause for alarm A sharp fall in the Philippines’ current account surplus is fueling fears that the economy is overheating. We think such fears are overdone. 21st April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Five key calls for Emerging Asia The highlight of the coming week is a scheduled monetary policy meeting in Indonesia. Despite the poor growth outlook, we think interest rates will be left on hold against a backdrop of rising... 13th April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asian consumers facing growing headwinds Consumer spending has grown at a steady if unspectacular pace across Emerging Asia over the past few years, comfortably outperforming other EM regions. Spending in the region should continue to grow... 7th April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Are Asian countries manipulating their currencies? The US Treasury is due to report this month which of its major trading partners, if any, have been manipulating their currencies for unfair advantage. No country in Emerging Asia meets the criteria... 31st March 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Duterte undermining reform prospects in the Philippines Struggles to push through much-needed tax reform in the Philippines are the first sign that President Duterte’s controversial war on drugs and offensive behaviour is undermining the efforts of his... 24th March 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Will the Korea-US free-trade agreement survive Trump? The risk that the US may seek to renegotiate or even pull out from the Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS) is a big concern for Korean exporters. However, there are reasons to think the US may... 17th March 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Where next for Asian currencies? Improving export prospects, healthy external positions and easing concerns about a large devaluation of the renminbi mean Asian currencies should hold up relatively well over the coming year even if... 10th March 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Spike in inflation nothing to worry about The sharp rise in headline inflation across Emerging Asia is unlikely to be the trigger for the region’s central banks to start tightening monetary policy. The increase is almost entirely due to an... 3rd March 2017 · 1 min read
