Asia Economics Update New Zealand’s rate hiking cycle has a long way to go The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) raised its policy rate by 25bp to 3.0% today, and made it clear in its statement that more rate hikes are on the way. Although the RBNZ’s own forecasts have not... 24th 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 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
Asia Economics Update New Zealand’s outlook still healthy, despite Q4 slowdown New Zealand’s economy slowed in Q4, largely owing to the fading impact of the recovery from a drought that hit the country in the first half of last year. Broader indicators suggest the economy is in... 20th March 2014 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update The kiwi can fly! New Zealand dollar to remain high It is tempting to conclude that the New Zealand dollar is set to fall sharply. After all, on several measures, it is the most overvalued of the G10 currencies. But with the key driver behind the... 18th March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Rate hikes coming in New Zealand With New Zealand’s economic recovery gaining momentum, inflation rising and house prices booming, the country’s central bank looks set to hike interest rates on Wednesday for the first time in nearly... 10th March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Export recovery to support growth in Asia GDP data for the fourth quarter of 2013 showed that regional growth was unchanged from Q3. Improving prospects for exports bode well for the outlook, but domestic demand needs to cool in some... 3rd March 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian currencies rebound, rupiah leads the way Following sharp falls in January, Asian currencies and equity markets have rebounded over the past month. Meanwhile, government bond yields have been broadly flat. 27th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Interest rates to stay lower than consensus expects Asian central banks have, for the most part, left interest rates on hold recently, with India the only major central bank in the region to adjust monetary policy over the past month. India raised... 25th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly India and Indonesia – not so fragile? After coming through the latest bout of market turmoil with surprising resilience, it could be time for Indonesia and India to hand in their membership of the so-called ”Fragile Five”. Importantly... 24th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Prolonged political crisis holding back growth in Thailand Following an inconclusive general election, Thailand’s power vacuum is likely to persist for a couple more months at least. Most attention has been focused on the potential short-term economic... 17th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Five reasons to be positive about the Philippines The Philippines economy came through the disruption caused by Typhoon Haiyan reasonably well, posting healthy growth in the final quarter of 2013. The outlook is also bright, with long term growth... 3rd February 2014 · 1 min read