Asia Economics Update Indian rates on hold but industry will still feel the pinch The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) defied market expectations by keeping interest rates on hold today and instead announcing another increase in the cash reserve ratio, to 8.25% (with effect from 24th... 29th April 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Will Indonesia buck the trend and raise rates? The recent equities and government bonds sell-off in Indonesia has prompted comparisons with an episode in August 2005, when concerns over the fiscal impact of rising oil prices triggered a similar... 8th April 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia - Export outlook darkens (Apr 08) Asian exporters have enjoyed a strong start to the year with continued healthy demand from elsewhere in the region and from Europe helping to offset slower growth of shipments to the US. But the US... 3rd April 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indian civil service pay raise won’t solve corruption, inflation India’s 6th Pay Commission recommendation for generous central government worker pay hikes may have little, if any, impact on constraining corruption in the civil service but it will certainly stoke... 25th March 2008 · 1 min read
Global Economics Focus Australia & Canada: explaining contrasting monetary policies The contrasting monetary polices being pursued by the Bank of Canada and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) are a good illustration of why only countries with strong trade and financial links to the... 5th March 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia - Thai rates set to tumble (Mar 08) Thailand is the only one of these seven economies which is likely to grow faster this year than last. Consumers are still wary, but business investment has picked up during the smooth return to... 4th March 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India: slowdown + elections = fiscal populism At 8.4% y/y, India’s Q4 GDP figure confirmed that it is not immune to the global slowdown. The deceleration is not entirely unwelcome as it puts growth on a more sustainable path. Nevertheless, in a... 29th February 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India: weathering the storm The latest data suggest that the Indian economy is holding up well despite the slowdown in the West. New statistics on output and prices suggest that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is under reduced... 13th February 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Focus Has Indonesia turned a corner? Indonesia has come a long way since the Asian crisis of 1997-98, but for the most part of this last decade it has been a story of underperformance. With appropriate macroeconomic policies and further... 11th February 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia - Central banks put to the test (Feb 08) Asia as a whole is in good shape to weather a global slowdown this year, but the contraction in Singapore’s GDP at the end of 2007 underlines that smaller, tradereliant economies will suffer as demand... 31st January 2008 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update What’s up with Japanese consumers? The surprise jump in household spending in December suggests that it is too soon to write-off the Japanese consumer. The labour market is also holding up rather better than many had expected and... 29th January 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia - Coping with high oil prices (Dec 07) Asia outperformed expectations in the third quarter, with reassuring strength in domestic demand helping to offset a softening in the external environment. However the dramatic rise in oil prices in... 6th December 2007 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Focus How will emerging Asia fare as the West slows? The recent strong performance of emerging Asian economies is likely to be severely tested by a USled global slowdown in the next year or two. However, provided the US avoids an outright recession (as... 26th November 2007 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia - Fed cuts put pressure on South-East Asia to follow suit (Nov 07) Rapid declines in Indian wholesale price inflation have allowed policymakers to breathe somewhat easier. But the economy continues to grow rapidly and industrial activity appears again to be picking... 31st October 2007 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia - Safe havens from global credit crisis? (Sep 07) While the recent financial market crisis has cast a shadow over the global economy, the latest data suggest that most of the smaller Asian economies are in good shape to weather the storm. India is... 3rd September 2007 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia - Korean interest rates have probably peaked (Jul 07) The Bank of Korea raised its key interest rate to a six-year high of 4.75% in July, reflecting concerns that the stronger than expected economic recovery and high money supply growth could fan... 23rd July 2007 · 1 min read
