Asia Economics Focus Will urbanisation continue to drive growth in Asia? Urbanisation has been an important growth driver for Asian economies over the past few decades. With the proportion of the population living in urban areas still below 50% in many Asian countries... 26th May 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Is Emerging Asia missing out on the global recovery? Recovery in advanced economies has been underway for the best part of a year now, but Emerging Asia’s exports have remained sluggish. Some commentators are concerned this is more than a short-term... 26th May 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Is a credit bubble building in the Philippines? The surge in credit that has been going on across much of Emerging Asia since the global financial crisis has been getting some well-deserved media attention recently. But while we have been flagging... 19th May 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia’s strong GDP growth raises scope for rate hikes Malaysia’s growth picked up strongly in the first quarter of 2014, reinforcing our view that the central bank (BNM) is likely to begin raising its policy rate at its next meeting in July. Although... 16th May 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Are expectations too high for Modi’s India? All eyes will be on India next week as its much-talked-about election comes to an end. Opinion polls have consistently suggested that the opposition BJP party, which has nominated Narendra Modi as its... 12th May 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia on the verge of tightening monetary policy Malaysia’s central bank (BNM) opted to keep its policy rate at 3.0% today, but the case for monetary tightening is building, and we think BNM could hike rates as early as its next meeting in July. 8th May 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Rate hikes coming soon in the Philippines and Malaysia The coming week sees scheduled monetary policy meetings in five countries. Korea, Australia and Indonesia look almost certain to keep interest rates on hold. The decisions in the Philippines and... 5th May 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian equities record a solid month Most of Asia’s stock markets recorded gains in April, buoyed by capital inflows. The positive sentiment toward Asian equities appears to reflect an easing of fears over a hard landing in China, as... 30th April 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Political developments take centre stage Political developments have taken central stage over the past month. Election season is underway in India and Indonesia. Investors are optimistic that India’s election will bring about a positive... 29th April 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Four risks to watch out for in Emerging Asia Our recently published Emerging Asia Outlook paints a fairly benign picture of the region’s growth prospects, with most economies set to make a gradual recovery in 2014-15. This Weekly looks at some... 14th April 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Domestic challenges coming into focus Most countries in Emerging Asia should enjoy a steady recovery over the next couple of years on the back of loose monetary policy and a pickup in demand from advanced economies. However, a number of... 10th April 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Manufacturing recovery intact, but to stay slow-going The March PMIs for Emerging Asia were a mixed bag, reinforcing our view that Asia's manufacturing recovery is likely to remain bumpy. 1st April 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update A mixed month for Asian currencies After a solid bounce across the board in February, the performance of most Asian currencies and equity markets was muted over the past month. That said, investors were still showing improved appetite... 31st March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Export outperformance won't reignite Vietnam's economy Vietnam's exports have been a rare bright spot for its struggling economy in recent years, mainly owing to the country's success in attracting foreign manufacturers that want a low-cost alternative to... 31st March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia's consumer sector is picking up After enduring a slump for much of 2013, retail sales in Emerging Asia (ex. China) appear to have turned a corner. Growth has picked up strongly across most countries in the region in recent months... 26th March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Is Emerging Asia about to run into structural constraints? Concerns over structural constraints on growth have come to the fore recently, in the wake of prolonged slowdowns in some of the world's biggest emerging economies. There are some fears that parts of... 24th March 2014 · 1 min read
