China Economics Update How long will the Hong Kong peg last? A provocative new paper by Joseph Yam, the former head of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, calling for the territory to review its currency peg to the US dollar has once again raised questions over... 13th June 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update How bad were the Q1 data for emerging Asia? Most of Asia reported weak GDP growth in the first quarter of this year, due mainly to weak export demand. The crisis in the euro-zone is likely to weigh heavily on Asia this year. However, the... 23rd May 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Hong Kong falters in Q1 Hong Kong’s economy had a weak start to the year, expanding in Q1 at the same tepid pace as in Q4 and confounding hopes that growth would accelerate. We think growth will probably pick up over the... 11th May 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Asia well placed to withstand weaker global growth Asia is well placed to withstand the impact of any major shocks to the global economy. The health of economic fundamentals and policymakers’ room for stimulus should enable the region to grow by just... 19th April 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Key challenges await Hong Kong’s new chief executive Regardless of which candidate wins the election on Sunday, the new chief executive will face a series of challenges as Hong Kong grapples with how best to deal with slowing exports, rising inequality... 19th March 2012 · 1 min read
Global Economics Focus How well will growth in emerging economies hold up? Emerging Asia and Latin America should continue to grow relatively fast even if the euro-zone slides into prolonged recession, as long as the US avoids the same fate. The outlook for emerging Europe... 16th February 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Hong Kong growth to remain weak despite expansionary budget Hong Kong’s economy remained weak in the fourth quarter. Despite an expansionary budget, falling inflation, and the prospect of continued strong spending by Chinese tourists, Hong Kong’s trade... 1st February 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update How vulnerable is Asia to a euro-zone banking crisis? The impact on emerging Asia of a fall in lending by euro-zone banks to the region would be small. However, Asia would be vulnerable if the crisis in the euro-zone caused global credit markets to... 15th December 2011 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Policy starts to turn Policymakers started talking in late October of the need for “fine-tuning”. There is now mounting evidence that policy has begun to shift direction. The People’s Bank lowered the yield on one-year... 21st November 2011 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Hong Kong facing a difficult year ahead Hong Kong escaped falling into recession in the third quarter, but the economy remains very weak. Given our forecast that global growth will slow further next year, and the risks of a local property... 11th November 2011 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Smaller firms feel tightening squeeze China’s attempts to rein in off-balance-sheet lending by banks have compounded the difficulties faced by smaller firms that were already cut off from formal credit channels. Net new bank lending last... 25th October 2011 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Global weakness to drag on growth While pessimism has been growing about the world economy, the last month’s data from China have actually not been that bad. But China’s economy is weaker today than on the eve of the global crisis... 23rd September 2011 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Renminbi spurt revives talk of currency reform The renminbi has retreated after gaining 0.6% against the dollar in two days earlier in August, damping hopes that faster movement would be sustained in the months to come. But the unusually-abrupt... 24th August 2011 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Still-rising pork prices add to near-term inflation risks Pork prices continued to rise in the first half of July. But the pace at which they are rising has slowed. Pig numbers are picking up – helped in part by high prices – and the government is releasing... 21st July 2011 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Equity markets may be turning the corner After falling for two months, Chinese equities have clawed back some of their losses in the last few days. We think that the recovery in equity prices has much further to go. 29th June 2011 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Power shortages unlikely to undermine growth Power shortages are adding to investor concerns about the outlook for China’s growth. The main problem is that the government has not allowed regulated electricity prices to increase in line with the... 17th May 2011 · 1 min read
