Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea to keep rates on prolonged hold Against a backdrop of gradual recovery in the domestic economy, the Bank of Korea (BoK) left its policy rate unchanged at a record low of 1.50% today. We expect the BoK to keep rates on hold for the... 15th October 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Bailout package for power sector would have limited impact A bailout for India’s heavily-indebted electricity providers would be a positive step, but there are reasons to doubt the effectiveness of any rescue deal. For a start, any package is likely to be... 15th October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Emerging Markets Capital Flows Monitor Our Capital Flows Tracker shows that over a quarter of a trillion dollars flowed out of EMs in the third quarter. This was largely due to China, although there are signs that the pace of capital... 14th October 2015 · 1 min read
India Data Response Wholesale Prices (Sep.) Wholesale price inflation rose in September after falling a record low in August. Looking ahead, we think that WPI inflation will accelerate further over the coming months as the favourable base... 14th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore unlikely to loosen policy again The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) today opted to “reduce slightly” the slope of its target band for the nominal effective exchange rate (NEER), which amounts to very modest loosening of its... 14th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Focus Can Malaysia ride out challenging times? Malaysia faces a number of challenges over the coming years, not least in adjusting to lower commodity prices. But there are reasons to think the economy will hold up relatively well and, while it is... 13th October 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update What can the RBI do to get banks to lower interest rates? Having cut the repo rate by 125bp this year, the RBI has shifted its focus to ensuring that banks pass on these rate reductions to borrowers. In truth, high levels of bad debt mean that the banking... 13th October 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Malaysia Monthly Palm Oil Data (Sep.) September data released earlier today by Malaysia’s Palm Oil Board show that palm oil stocks rose to the highest monthly level on record. 12th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Emerging Asia set for recovery The jump in Egyptian inflation to 9.2% y/y in September was driven almost entirely by a rise in the volatile food component. While we do expect inflation to fall back again, last month’s data mean an... 12th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Rupiah rebound unlikely to prompt immediate rate cuts The rebound in the Indonesian rupiah over the past week is unlikely to be enough to persuade Bank Indonesia to cut interest rates at its meeting on Thursday. But provided the recent rally does not go... 9th October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economic Outlook One extreme to the other Having been too optimistic on the outlook for the emerging world over much of the past five years, the consensus has now shifted too far in the other direction. Economic and financial vulnerabilities... 7th October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update How we compare with the IMF The IMF downgraded its forecasts for emerging market (EM) growth in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO). While we agree with the IMF that EM growth should rebound next year, we think the IMF has... 7th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea’s economy is turning a corner Korea’s domestic economy appears to be getting back on its feet following the negative shock caused by the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in mid-2015. With the outlook improving... 7th October 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update TPP is potentially a “big deal” but only over the long term The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement which was announced today may not see the light of day for some years. Assuming, however, that it is eventually implemented, it should have large and... 5th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Singapore to opt against policy loosening Singapore should emerge from its recent bout of deflation toward the end of the year. Given this, we think that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will opt against loosening policy at its bi... 2nd October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM Manufacturing slows further September’s PMI data suggest that manufacturing activity across the emerging world weakened further last month, with export orders particularly subdued. But in the EMs that have been in the spotlight... 1st October 2015 · 1 min read