Asia Economics Update Korea’s central bank in wait-and-see mode The Bank of Korea (BoK) unsurprisingly kept its policy rate on hold at 1.50% today, and the dovish tone of the governor’s press conference suggests that the BoK is likely to remain on the sidelines... 12th April 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Impact of KORUS changes is small Korea looks to have emerged from the Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS) re-negotiations unscathed, but rising trade tensions between the US and China remain a threat to its export sector. 26th March 2018 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Growing threats to Korea’s export sector The near-term outlook for Korea’s export sector remains positive, but US protectionism and Chinese competition pose growing threats to the sector. 12th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update North Korea, Trump and South Korea’s economy Donald Trump’s decision to accept an invitation to visit North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, represents an extraordinary turn of events, and comes just a few months after the US president was calling... 9th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Feb.) The February PMIs for Emerging Asia suggest the region’s manufacturing sectors remained in decent health. While the surveys point to rising prices, the big picture is that inflation in most of these... 1st March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea on hold, for now The Bank of Korea (BoK) today unsurprisingly kept its policy rate on hold at 1.50% for its second straight meeting, and the accompanying statement and governor’s press conference suggest the central... 27th February 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jan.) Emerging Asia’s PMIs for January suggest the region’s manufacturing sectors gained momentum at the start of 2018. Encouragingly, the headline readings for Taiwan and Korea – the two economies where... 1st February 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Korea GDP (Q4) While Korea’s economy cooled at the end of 2017, we expect growth to regain some momentum in the coming quarters, supported by a turnaround in the tourism sector. 25th January 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea set for strong 2018, but not because of the Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics, which get under way in South Korea next month, will not provide much of a boost to the country’s economy. But this will not stop South Korea from recording another year of... 19th January 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea on hold, tightening will be gradual The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its policy rate on hold at 1.50% today, and the governor’s accompanying press conference signalled aggressive tightening is not in the pipeline. With the economy set to... 18th January 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Will minimum wage hikes hurt Korea’s economy? The South Korean government hopes that steep hikes to the minimum wage will provide a boost to private consumption and help to reduce inequality, but there is a risk that the policy may do more harm... 11th January 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Dec.) The December PMIs for Emerging Asia suggest that the region’s manufacturing sectors remained in good health. Focusing on the two economies where the PMIs most closely track the hard data, Taiwan’s... 2nd January 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Will corporate tax hikes dent Korea’s competitiveness? The programme of tax hikes and spending increases passed today by South Korea’s parliament is unlikely to have much impact on the country’s growth prospects. The budget is forecast to be fiscally... 6th December 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Nov.) The November PMIs for Emerging Asia suggest that the region’s manufacturing sectors rebounded strongly last month. Encouragingly, the headline readings for Taiwan and Korea – the two economies where... 1st December 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea’s policy tightening will proceed gradually The Bank of Korea (BoK) raised its policy rate for the first time since 2011 today. Looking ahead, the tone of the governor’s accompanying press conference suggests aggressive monetary policy... 30th November 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Raising our Korea growth and interest rate forecasts China and South Korea’s decision to “reset” relations should provide a significant boost to Korea’s economy by bringing an end to China’s boycott of Korean goods as well as the clampdown on Chinese... 1st November 2017 · 1 min read
