Asia Economics Weekly BoT sounding hawkish, Trump renews auto tariff threat The hawkish minutes from the Bank of Thailand’s (BoT) November meeting reaffirm our view that the central bank will raise rates by 25bp at its December meeting. Meanwhile, the Korean government’s... 30th November 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Thailand GDP (Q3) GDP growth in Thailand slowed sharply in Q3, and is likely to struggle for momentum in the quarters ahead due to a combination of weaker external demand and a faltering tourism sector. 19th November 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Thailand set to raise rates in December The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left interest rates unchanged at 1.50% today, but the hawkish tone of the accompanying statement suggests that a rate hike is now only a matter of time, as the central bank... 14th November 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Which countries are running out of fiscal firepower? Most governments in Emerging Asia have room to support their economies by loosening fiscal policy further in the event that growth continues to disappoint. However, a few countries, namely Malaysia... 13th November 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Reform boost for Vietnam, regional growth slows The opening up of Vietnam’s economy has gathered pace over the pace couple of months, with the government pressing ahead with a series of reforms which should boost the country’s economic prospects... 9th November 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly TPP boost to Asia, rate hikes unlikely in Korea The announcement that the Trans-Pacific Partnership will come into force on 30th December is important in a number of ways. Not only should it provide a boost to growth prospects across parts of Asia... 2nd November 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Oct.) The October PMIs for Emerging Asia indicate that the region’s manufacturing sectors lost further momentum at the start of Q4. Meanwhile, the weakness in new export orders supports our view that the... 1st November 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand: Elections will not improve long-run outlook Even if a planned election for next year passes smoothly, political uncertainty is likely to remain a drag on Thailand’s growth prospects. 16th October 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand: strong baht will not stop rate hikes There are good reasons for the Bank of Thailand not to hike interest rates at its next meeting, as it currently appears determined to do. But currency strength is not one of them. 15th October 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What does the recent jump in oil prices mean for Asia? The biggest impact of a period of sustained higher oil prices would be in India and the Philippines, whose current account deficits would be pushed even more into the red, putting further downward... 4th October 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Why rate hikes in Thailand would be a bad idea The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left its policy rate unchanged at 1.50% today, but the hawkish tone of accompanying statement suggests that rate hikes are in the pipeline. With inflationary pressures very... 19th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Aug.) The August PMIs for Emerging Asia suggest that the region’s manufacturing sectors remained lacklustre. Meanwhile, Korean export data suggest export growth in the rest of the region stayed robust last... 3rd September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly BoT signals rate hike, Malaysia pushes back on BRI Stronger-than-expected Q2 GDP figures this week and the Bank of Thailand’s (BoT) increasingly hawkish rhetoric suggest a 25bp rate hike is likely at its next meeting on 19 th September. However, with... 24th August 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Thailand GDP (Q2) GDP growth in Thailand cooled slightly in Q2, after expanding at its fastest pace in five years in Q1. We expect growth to slow gradually over the coming quarters, due mainly to weaker export demand. 20th August 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand holds rates, but one hike likely this year The Bank of Thailand left its policy rate at 1.50% today, but the hawkish shift in the central bank’s tone means a rate hike is now likely before the end of the year. We are revising our end-2018... 8th August 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jul.) Most of Emerging Asia’s PMIs fell in July. However, there were no clear signs in the PMI surveys that suggest the first tranche of US tariffs on Chinese goods that came into effect in early July have... 1st August 2018 · 1 min read
