Asia Economics Update Could Vietnam find itself in Trump’s crosshairs? Vietnam could take a number of measures to reduce its huge bilateral trade surplus with the US, notably stepping up its purchases of US farm products and clamping down on transshipments from China... 21st January 2025 · 4 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea: a pause, not an end to the easing cycle The Bank of Korea today left its main policy rate unchanged at 3.00%, but with the economy struggling and inflation under control, we doubt it will be long before the central bank resumes its easing... 16th January 2025 · 3 mins read
Global Economics Update What do we mean by geopolitical blocs? The Cold War was defined by geopolitical blocs – the Soviet or Eastern bloc against the Western bloc. Geopolitics retreated with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The period from the early-1990s to... 7th January 2025 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Vietnam to remain a regional outperformer in 2025 GDP growth in Vietnam picked up in the fourth quarter of 2024 and we expect another year of strong growth in 2025, with the main support coming from exports. 6th January 2025 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Asia December PMIs, Korea Trade, Singapore GDP The December PMIs for Asia were a mixed bag, but we continue to expect manufacturing activity and GDP growth in the region to remain subdued in the near term. With growth set to struggle and inflation... 2nd January 2025 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea’s political crisis deepens Korea’s political crisis deepened today after parliament voted to impeach acting president, Han Duck-soo, just two weeks after President Yoon Suk Yeol was himself impeached following his shock... 27th December 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Five questions (and answers) on Korea’s political crisis President Yoon Suk Yoel has rescinded his declaration of martial law, but Korea’s political crisis is far from over. The opposition are now trying to impeach the president, while financial markets... 4th December 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea’s president declares martial law The declaration of martial law by Korea’s president is an extraordinary step that seems likely to trigger either the suspension of Constitutional democracy in Korea or the president’s own rapid... 3rd December 2024 · 4 mins read
Asia Economics Update Asia Manufacturing PMIs, Korea Trade (November) The November PMIs for Asia remained weak and are consistent with our expectation for manufacturing activity in the region to remain subdued in the near term. The data also showed a modest pick-up in... 2nd December 2024 · 2 mins read
Global Economics Update US import tariffs: your questions answered We held an online session on US import tariffs on 26th November. (See a recording here ). In this Update we answer the questions we were most asked. 29th November 2024 · 7 mins read
Asia Economics Update Further interest rate cuts likely next year in Korea The Bank of Korea cut interest rates again today by a further 25bps (to 3.00%) and made clear in its statement that more easing is on the way. We are sticking with our view that the central bank will... 28th November 2024 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update India, Trump tariffs and friendshoring prospects Friendshoring into India has for the most part been limited to high-end manufactured goods, but broader supply chain reconfiguration into the country could take place if the Trump administration... 21st November 2024 · 4 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update What do Trump’s immigration plans mean for EMs? US President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to curb immigration and undertake a mass deportation of undocumented migrants could boost labour supply in countries that are the source of migrants. But there... 18th November 2024 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea: more easing likely as inflation falls again With inflation falling back further in October, growth struggling and the property market in the doldrums, the conditions are in place for the Bank of Korea to cut interest rates again soon. We think... 5th November 2024 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Manufacturing PMIs, Korea Trade (October) The October PMIs from Asia remained weak and while the PMI surveys aren’t always a good guide to the hard activity data, their recent signals are consistent with our expectation for manufacturing... 1st November 2024 · 2 mins read
