Asia Economics Update Asia Manufacturing PMIs (July) The July PMI readings for most countries in Asia were subdued and we continue to expect activity in Asia’s export-oriented manufacturing sectors to struggle in the coming months. And with inflation... 1st August 2025 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia Weekly: Lessons from the Indonesia and Vietnam trade deals With Indonesia joining Vietnam this week in securing a trade deal with the US, there are some important implications for the rest of the region. One is that the strength of a country’s negotiating... 18th July 2025 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Update Will Indonesia breach its budget deficit limit? Indonesia’s government is cutting spending and considering new taxes as it tries to prevent the budget deficit breaching the 3% of GDP legal limit. An alternative for President Prabowo Subianto would... 18th July 2025 · 5 mins read
Asia Rapid Response Indonesia Interest Rate Announcement (Jul. 2025) & US-Indonesia Trade Deal Bank Indonesia (BI) resumed its easing cycle with a 25bp cut to its benchmark 7-day reverse repo rate, to 5.25%, today and, with inflation subdued and GDP growth likely to slow, we think there’s scope... 16th July 2025 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia Weekly: Tariff uncertainty to drag on, export boom won’t last The reciprocal tariff rates announced this week as part of Liberation Day 2.0 were largely unchanged from April, though a few smaller countries in South East Asia saw their rates cut. While the lack... 11th July 2025 · 8 mins read
Asia Economic Outlook Asia Outlook: Tepid growth for many as tariff threat looms We expect GDP growth across most of Asia to soften in 2025, with many countries likely to record below-consensus growth. The risk of escalating trade tensions remains a key concern, particularly for... 26th June 2025 · 28 mins read
Asia Rapid Response Indonesia Policy Rate (June 2025) Bank Indonesia today left interest rates unchanged at 5.50%, but as dovish comments in the press conference by Governor Perry Warjiyo make clear, this is unlikely to mark the end of the central bank’s... 18th June 2025 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia Weekly: Inflation to stay low, sharp fiscal tightening in Pakistan Recent data show inflation stayed soft across Asia last month, with Thailand, Sri Lanka, and China all in deflation. While the jump in oil prices following Israel’s attacks on Iran pose an upside risk... 13th June 2025 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia Weekly: Korea’s struggling economy, Indonesia’s fiscal stimulus Korea’s new president Lee Jae-myung faces an uphill battle to revive the flagging economy. GDP shrank in Q1 and early Q2 data suggest the economy may already be in recession. The stage is set for a... 6th June 2025 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia’s uneasy trade countdown With just over 50 days left until the 90-day pause on Liberation Day tariffs expire, most countries in Asia appear to be making only slow progress on agreeing trade deals with the US. While many... 16th May 2025 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia: GDP data tell us little about the economy We pay little attention to the official Indonesia GDP figures, which once again showed growth was unchanged at around 5% last quarter. 5th May 2025 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia Weekly: A close call in Malaysia Bank Negara Malaysia has so far held off on rate cuts, but with first quarter growth slowing sharply, inflation at a four-year low, and external risks mounting, we expect the central bank to begin its... 2nd May 2025 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Focus Will Asia benefit from China's plunging US exports? Parts of South East Asia, notably Vietnam, as well as India are well placed to immediately gain market share in response to penal US tariffs on Chinese imports. But uncertainty over the future tariff... 29th April 2025 · 14 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia Weekly: Korea construction slump, BI on hold Korea’s economy remains in the doldrums, with figures published earlier this week showing the economy contracted by 0.2% in the first quarter. Investment was particularly weak, dragged down by a sharp... 25th April 2025 · 8 mins read
