Asia Economics Update Policy paralysis to continue in India Events over the past year have taken the shine off India’s economy as the growth rate has slowed, reform efforts have been blocked and slow and opaque decision-making has undermined investor... 4th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Focus How would a hard landing in China affect Australia? In the event of a hard landing in China, Australia would suffer a sharp fall in exports to its biggest trading partner. Global commodity prices would tumble given China’s importance for commodity... 3rd April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update March PMIs point to continued manufacturing recovery March PMIs for Asia suggested that a pick-up in trade is giving a boost to the region’s manufacturers. However, problems in the euro zone mean that the improvement could be short-lived. 3rd April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Indonesia - losing its shine? Indonesia’s stock market and currency have been among the worst performing assets in Asia so far this year. The poor performance reflects worries over proposed cuts to fuel subsidies, which will... 2nd April 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Is China's move up the value chain a threat to Asian economies? As China develops, its manufacturing firms are moving into higher-value sectors. While this is a boon for low-wage Asian economies that represent a good alternative for low-end producers... 29th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Who in Asia will benefit from rising labour costs in China? After years of strong growth, China’s textile and apparel exports are now losing market share abroad. Indeed, high and rising labour costs in China mean the migration of low-end manufacturing out of... 28th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update A tough year ahead for Vietnam after Q1 growth slows sharply GDP in Vietnam grew by just 4.0% y/y in the first quarter of 2012 – the weakest rate of expansion since the first quarter of 2009. The economy faces a difficult year in 2012 due to a combination of... 26th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Focus Are Australian banks vulnerable to a global financial crisis? Australia stands out as one of the economies in Asia that might be most vulnerable to a renewed global banking crisis. Its high external debt and current account deficit make it reliant on foreign... 26th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly High oil prices will not lift inflation The pick-up in oil prices in recent weeks has caused some to fear that inflation in Asia will soon rise sharply. These fears are over-blown. Even if oil prices stayed at current levels, inflation... 26th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Zealand grinding out a moderate recovery Today’s GDP data show that New Zealand’s economy grew at a sluggish pace in Q4. Growth is likely to be weak in the near term as the temporary boost from the Rugby World Cup unwinds, but post... 22nd March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Thailand pauses to assess recovery The Bank of Thailand (BoT) kept its policy rate at 3.0% today, as expected. The speed of the local recovery from last year’s floods and global developments will determine monetary policy decisions in... 21st March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack A promising start to 2012, but will it last? Growth in emerging Asia looks to have picked up in Q1. Strength in the US is helping to offset weakness in Europe for Asia’s exporters. There are encouraging signs of domestic demand improving early... 20th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Does the US still matter to Asia? The recent run of improved data from the US has led us to raise our US GDP growth forecasts for 2012 and 2013. But we believe that improved prospects for the US will make little difference to emerging... 19th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India takes modest steps to correct budget deficit The Indian budget for 2012/13, presented to parliament today, incorporates some significant tax hikes and should be viewed positively by the markets and the central bank. The main concern, though, is... 16th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Reserve Bank of India leaves repo rate unchanged The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) left its repo rate unchanged at today’s meeting and took a hawkish tone in its policy statement. Given that measures of activity have picked up recently and inflation... 15th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New 2012 forecasts for Sri Lanka The central bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) left its repurchase rate on hold at 7.5% today. With the central bank still assessing the impact of a number of major policy changes introduced last month, the... 14th March 2012 · 1 min read
