Asia Economics Update Currencies and equity markets drop back Most equity markets and currencies in Emerging Asia fell last month, although in the majority of cases the declines were relatively small. 1st April 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Deflation of Thailand’s credit bubble has further to run Although credit growth in Thailand has cooled over the past few years, the process of deflating the country’s credit bubble is still far from over. Given this, the Bank of Thailand’s decision earlier... 27th March 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Exports take a turn for the worse Emerging Asia’s exports have taken a turn for the worse in recent months. Leaving out China, the region’s merchandise exports, measured in US dollar terms, contracted at the sharpest annual rate in... 24th March 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand's rate cut likely to be a one-off The Bank of Thailand (BoT) joined the global shift toward monetary loosening today, cutting its policy rate by 25bp to 1.75%. Looking ahead, we think the BoT will keep rates on hold in the coming... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Faster sales of Thailand’s rice stocks should pull down prices The announcement that the Thai government is planning to clear its rice stockpiles in just two years should put significant downward pressure on rice prices over this time period. 27th February 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian equity markets continue good run Equity markets in Emerging Asia recorded another month of solid gains in February. Currencies did not fare as well, particularly the Indonesian rupiah, which has continued to weaken against the US... 27th February 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Time to worry about deflation? Emerging Asia has seen a sharp drop in inflationary pressures over the past few months. Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand are now experiencing deflation, while inflation is 1% y/y or below in Malaysia... 25th February 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Thailand GDP (Q4) Thailand's economy continued to gain momentum in the fourth quarter, with growth picking up to 2.3% y/y from 0.6% the quarter before. The Thai economy should gain a firmer footing in the coming... 16th February 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian equity markets make winning start to 2015 Emerging Asian equity markets have got off to a strong start to the year, while the performance of Asian currencies has been much more mixed. 30th January 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Interest rate cuts to be exception rather than rule Expectations that the fall in oil prices will trigger a wave of interest rate cuts across Asia are probably wide of the mark. Admittedly, Pakistan, India and Singapore have each loosened monetary... 29th January 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Falling inflation not enough to trigger Thai rate cut The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left interest rates unchanged at 2.0% today despite the recent drop in inflation. While dissent within the monetary policy committee has raised the odds of a rate cut, we... 28th January 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Lower oil prices to support growth The recent sharp drop in global oil prices is a positive development for Emerging Asia. It will support growth in most economies and will put downward pressure on inflation, providing scope for... 14th January 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Sri Lanka faces tight election contest Sri Lanka’s presidential election, scheduled for 8 th January, is shaping up to be much closer than expected, with the current president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, now facing a genuine challenge from... 24th December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rough end to the year for Asian markets Emerging Asia’s financial markets have not escaped the latest turmoil unscathed, but they have fared better than other EM regions. 18th December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand's tourism recovery underway, but headwinds persist Thailand's tourism sector, which was a key growth driver before the most recent political crisis, finally looks to be on the mend, and should add much-needed support to the economy going into 2015... 18th December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thai rates to stay low to support growth The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left interest rates unchanged at 2.0% today against the backdrop of gradual improvement in the economy. With price pressures benign, we think the BoT will look to keep... 17th December 2014 · 1 min read