Asia Economics Update Asia January PMIs, Korea Trade The January PMIs for Asia were generally weak, supporting our view that manufacturing activity and GDP growth in the region are likely to remain below trend in the near term. And with inflation back... 3rd February 2025 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Thailand: the new sick man of Asia Thailand’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has not only been much weaker than that experienced in other parts of Asia, but also compared with past crises. The weakness of the economy is the key... 27th January 2025 · 4 mins read
India Economics Update The rise of the Indian tourist India’s outbound tourism market is poised to become one of the world’s largest over the coming years. The Maldives and the UAE are arguably the biggest beneficiaries, though Oman and Thailand are well... 27th January 2025 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Inflation in Asia to stay low, easing cycle to continue Headline inflation in Asia has continued to ease over the past year and is now back to (or below) target everywhere. We expect inflation to remain subdued over the coming year as improved growing... 22nd January 2025 · 3 mins read
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