Asia Economics Update Asia manufacturing weakens further September PMIs for Asia released over the past couple of days remained weak. Although Asia is relatively well-placed to withstand weaker global demand, the recent PMIs reinforce our view that Asian... 5th October 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's central bank considers rate cuts The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) held its cash rate at 4.75% today, as was widely anticipated. But given the shift in the tone of the RBA’s commentary and our recent downgrades to global growth... 5th October 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Rapid credit growth in Asia is a concern Private sector credit growth across emerging Asia has accelerated sharply since the economic recovery began in mid-2009. With domestic private sector credit as a share of GDP in emerging Asia at an... 4th October 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What lies ahead for Asia’s currencies? Asia’s currencies have fallen sharply against the US dollar this month and we expect the downward pressure to continue in the near term. However, once the global financial situation starts to... 27th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia growth forecasts cut amid weak global outlook Owing to our recent downward revisions to growth in the US and euro-zone in 2011-12 we have cut our forecasts for growth across emerging Asia. However, in a reflection of the region’s healthy... 23rd September 2011 · 1 min read
Commodities Update What does Thailand’s rice scheme mean for global prices? Thailand, the world’s largest rice exporter, is set to introduce a generous price floor for local rice farmers, fuelling speculation that global rice prices are about to surge. However, we expect any... 22nd September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia's coming struggle with capital inflows Asian markets would of course be vulnerable to a retreat of global capital if the debt crises in Europe and the US intensified. But any reversal of flows will be temporary. Dealing effectively with... 20th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Reserve Bank of India near the end of policy tightening The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised its repo rate by 25bp to 8.25% today, as anticipated, citing further increases in core inflation. Provided the euro-zone crisis does not escalate dramatically in... 17th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Zealand rates to remain on prolonged hold The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) left its key interest rate at 2.5% today, as anticipated, citing the deterioration in external conditions and escalation in financial market risks. The RBNZ... 16th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Why India will not follow Brazil in cutting rates Given the sharp deterioration in the global economic outlook in the past couple of months, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will give serious consideration to downside risks to growth when it meets on... 13th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Tide starting to turn on interest rates Central banks in Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea and the Philippines all kept their main policy rates on hold today, as expected, reflecting heightened concern over the outlook for the global economy. This... 9th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia’s growth momentum looks resilient Economic growth rebounded strongly in the second quarter, strengthening our view that Australia’s recovery is intact despite the fall in output in Q1. Worries about the global outlook obviously add... 8th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Troubles mount for Pakistan’s crisis-hit economy A combination of increasing political violence in Karachi, falling cotton prices, an unsustainable fiscal position and high inflation mean the outlook for Pakistan’s fragile economy remains bleak. 7th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Australia’s cash rate more likely to rise than fall While the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is widely expected to leave its cash rate at 4.75% on Tuesday, the swap market suggests that the cash rate will be aggressively cut over the next 12 months... 6th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Growth slowdown in the Philippines to be short-lived The Philippines is the latest country within emerging Asia to report weak Q2 GDP data. Nonetheless, as with elsewhere in the region, growth should rebound in coming quarters as temporary supply-chain... 1st September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India’s resilient growth to bring more policy tightening India’s second quarter GDP figures, which showed only a marginal deceleration from the first quarter, should dispel any concerns in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that the economy is struggling to... 31st August 2011 · 1 min read
