Asia Economics Update A guide to political events in 2021 In this Update we take a look at the important elections and political events that are set to take place across Asia over the coming year as well as any potential flashpoints, assessing the... 20th January 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea set for extended hold The Bank of Korea (BoK) left its main policy rate on hold at 0.50% today in a unanimous decision, and with signs that the latest virus outbreak is coming under control, further rate cuts seem unlikely... 15th January 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: cutting our forecasts on new restrictions The decision by the Malaysian government to place the country under a two-week lockdown to slow the spread of the virus is likely to hit the economy hard. We are cutting our growth forecast for 2021... 12th January 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea: demographic “time bomb” to weigh on growth Korea’s population last year shrank for the first time in its history, underlining the seriousness of the demographic “time bomb” facing the country. The poor demographic outlook is the key reason why... 5th January 2021 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Update Thailand: rates to remain low throughout next year The Bank of Thailand’s (BoT) decision to leave interest rates unchanged at an all-time low of just 0.5% today came as no surprise, and the poor outlook for the economy means rates are likely to remain... 23rd December 2020 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan: central bank to keep rates on hold next year The decision by Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) to leave interest rates unchanged at 1.125% came as no surprise given the strong performance of the economy. We expect interest rates to be left unchanged... 17th December 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update What next for interest rates in Indonesia? Indonesia’s central bank left interest rates unchanged today, but given the poor outlook for growth, further easing is likely early next year. 17th December 2020 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Philippines: central bank has not finished easing yet The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) left its key policy rate on hold today at 2.0%, but the weakness of the recovery means further easing is likely. 17th December 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update US takes aim at Vietnam The US Treasury’s decision to label Vietnam a currency manipulator today is primarily a response to the surge in Vietnam’s trade surplus with the US. The next step is likely to be talks – with Vietnam... 16th December 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Assessing the impact of a lockdown in Korea The Korean government is on the verge of introducing much tighter restrictions to stem the rise in coronavirus cases. We are not cutting our GDP growth forecasts yet, but the risks are now clearly to... 16th December 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea set for extended hold The Bank of Korea (BoK) left its main policy rate on hold at 0.50% in a unanimous decision, and with the economy set to rebound further in spite of a growing third wave of the coronavirus, further... 26th November 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia: easing cycle not over yet Bank Indonesia (BI) cut its main policy rate today by 25bps to 3.75%, and further gradual easing is likely provided the currency continues to perform well against the US dollar. 19th November 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update More rate cuts likely next year in the Philippines The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) cut its key policy rate today for the first time since June, and the weakness of the recovery means further easing is likely. 19th November 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Thailand: rates to remain low for a long time to come The Bank of Thailand’s (BoT) decision to leave interest rates unchanged at an all-time low of just 0.5% came as no surprise. Given the poor outlook for the economy, rates are likely to remain very low... 18th November 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Assessing the benefits of the world’s biggest FTA Talks to establish the world’s biggest free-trade agreement, the Regional Economic Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP), are finally expected to conclude at the weekend. While a deal would provide a boost... 12th November 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update The benefits to Asia of a COVID-19 vaccine Asia may have less to gain than other parts of the world from a coronavirus vaccine, given successes in containing the new coronavirus. A widely-distributed and effective vaccine would nonetheless... 10th November 2020 · 3 mins read
