Asia Data Response Australia GDP (Q3) The Australian economy grew at its slowest rate since Q1 2013 in the third quarter, largely owing to a contraction in investment. We think falling commodity prices and a decline in mining investment... 3rd December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's first rate hike still a long way off The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) provided no surprises in its monetary policy decision today, keeping its policy rate at 2.5% and once again signalling that it has no intention of changing its... 2nd December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Where could we see an upside surprise next year? We expect most economies in Emerging Asia to record another year of solid, if unspectacular, growth in 2015. That said , there are a number of potential upside surprises. This Weekly looks at some of... 28th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia-China FTA will help rebalance Australia’s economy Australia signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with China yesterday that will give its exporters a surprising amount of access to China’s market. The biggest opportunities lie in the agriculture and... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Australia Employment (Oct.) A gain in employment in October, after two months of net job losses, will allay some of the worst fears about Australia's labour market, but it still looks far from healthy. 6th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's first rate hike further off than most expect The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its policy rate on hold at 2.5% today and provided no surprises in its policy statement either. Once again it said that “the most prudent course is likely to... 4th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update PMIs weaken in most of Asia The October PMIs for Emerging Asia offered no signs that the region's disappointing manufacturing recovery is gaining any momentum. The most encouraging aspect of today's surveys was that they pointed... 3rd November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly How much slack is left in the NIEs? There are indications that the amount of spare capacity in the Newly Industrialised Economies (NIEs: Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Korea) is starting to be used up. As a result, while there is... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's weak labour market to weigh on consumer spending A fall in employment in September, along with revisions to previous months, has left Australia's labour market looking weak, undermining hopes that stronger consumer spending can help compensate for... 9th October 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Interest rates in Australia to remain low The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its main policy rate on hold at 2.50% today, and again signalled that it is not planning any change in monetary policy in the near-term. Although most analysts... 7th October 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Aussie and Kiwi dollars lead Asia’s currency sell-off Asia’s financial markets performed poorly in September, largely reflecting concerns about the outlook for US monetary policy. The New Zealand and Australian dollars were the worst performers, but... 30th September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack What is behind the recent currency weakness? Sizeable falls in a number of Asian currencies against the US dollar over the past month have rekindled unwelcome memories of last summer’s “Taper Tantrum”. As was the case during last year’s sell-off... 23rd September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Strong jobs figure does not alter the picture for Australia Data released last week showed that Australia added more jobs in August than in any other month on record. But the jump does not change the broader picture of labour market weakness, and it does not... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's economy set for a period of sub-trend growth Australia’s economy slowed sharply in Q2, as the surge in net exports at the start of the year gave way to a sharp fall. The more general picture is one of an economy struggling to adjust to a... 3rd September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australian rates to stay low for longer than generally thought The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its policy rate on hold at 2.5% at its meeting today, as widely expected. With recent data weak, most analysts have reined in their expectations for policy... 2nd September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian financial markets higher, but political risks weigh on Pakistan Most of Asia’s stock markets and currencies strengthened in August. The key exception is Pakistan, where political uncertainty has returned to the fore. 28th August 2014 · 1 min read
