Asia Data Response

Singapore Trade (May)

The strength of the pharmaceutical and electronics sectors has helped Singaporean exports to outperform and is one reason why we are revising up our GDP growth forecast for 2020 from -8.0%, to -6.0%.

17th June 2020 · 2 mins read

Asia Data Response

Korea Trade (1st – 10th June)

Korean trade data for the first ten days of June suggest that the external environment improved slightly at the start of last month. We suspect this will mark the start of a long and slow recovery.

11th June 2020 · 2 mins read

Asia Data Response

Korea Trade (May)

Korean export values sank further in May after collapsing in April, and while this is likely to mark the bottom, external demand is only likely to recover very slowly in the coming months.

1st June 2020 · 2 mins read

Asia Data Response

Manufacturing PMIs (May)

We suspect that PMI readings do not accurately reflect the change in industry conditions last month, but they are still indicative of the fact that output remains very depressed.

1st June 2020 · 2 mins read

Asia Data Response

Singapore GDP (Q1)

A very strong performance from the biomedical manufacturing sector meant that Singapore’s economy contracted much less in Q1 than previously thought. But with a stringent lockdown in place at home and...

26th May 2020 · 3 mins read

Asia Data Response

Korea Trade (1st – 20th May)

Korean trade data for the first 20 days of May show no signs of a turnaround in exports despite the easing of lockdowns in many trading partners.

21st May 2020 · 2 mins read

Asia Data Response

Thailand GDP (Q1)

Figures released today show the slump in Thailand’s economy was less severe than expected last quarter, but this will provide little comfort, Q2 data are set be much worse.

18th May 2020 · 3 mins read

Asia Data Response

Malaysia GDP (Q1)

Malaysia Q1 GDP figures were slightly better than expected but will provide little comfort, with the economy set to contract much more sharply this quarter as depressed domestic demand and an...

13th May 2020 · 3 mins read

Asia Data Response

Korea Trade (1st – 10th May.)

Korean trade data for the first ten days of May show that exporters have taken a massive hit from lockdowns across the world. This bodes poorly for exporters across the rest of the region too.

11th May 2020 · 2 mins read

Asia Data Response

Philippines GDP (Q1)

The larger-than-expected contraction in the Philippines economy in Q1 suggests that the lockdown there is having a severe impact on economic activity and that growth is likely to be even worse than we...

7th May 2020 · 3 mins read

Asia Data Response

Indonesia GDP (Q1)

GDP growth in Indonesia held up better than most in Q1, but we doubt this resilience will last. Indonesia was later than other countries to lockdown its economy, meaning more of the hit will have...

5th May 2020 · 3 mins read

Asia Data Response

Manufacturing PMIs (Apr.)

The manufacturing PMIs for Asia sank sharply in April and are unlikely to have bottomed out yet in many places. Any recovery in industry thereafter is set to be very slow going.

4th May 2020 · 2 mins read

Asia Data Response

Korea Trade (Apr.)

Korean export values fell sharply in April and with global demand collapsing, trade is likely to remain very weak. Indeed, we wouldn’t be surprised if the May data worsened further still.

1st May 2020 · 2 mins read

Asia Data Response

Taiwan GDP (Q1)

Taiwan’s economy contracted by 1.5% q/q in the first quarter of the year, and things are likely to get much worse before they get better. Despite containing the virus at home, a slump in global growth...

30th April 2020 · 3 mins read

Asia Data Response

Korea GDP (Q1, provisional)

Economic activity in Korea fell by the most since 2008 last quarter and unfortunately there is much worse to come. With the external environment weighing heavily on export demand, a much deeper...

23rd April 2020 · 3 mins read