Asia Economics Update Pakistan slashes rates, further loosening to come In response to the rapidly worsening outlook for the economy, Pakistan’s central bank (SBP) today slashed its key policy rate by 75bp to 12.5%. With growth likely to slow sharply this year and... 17th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea’s next step likely to be QE The Bank of Korea today finally responded to the coronavirus outbreak by cutting the policy rate by 50bp and introducing a number of other measures to ease financing constraints. Further measures... 16th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Philippines capital city on “lockdown” over virus fears, rate cuts more likely The new restrictions on economic activity in Manila will further weigh on the country’s outlook and mean the central bank (BSP) will almost certainly cut interest rates again at its meeting on... 12th March 2020 · 2 mins read
Global Economics Update Can the virus be contained with little economic pain? Some countries have managed to control the new coronavirus without large-scale quarantines or economic shutdowns. But they have achieved this by preventing the virus from spreading within the... 11th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update South Asia at high risk of wide-scale virus outbreak The rising number of new coronavirus infections in Asia beyond China has largely been confined to Korea and Japan. But poor healthcare provision, the density of population and high levels of internal... 11th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: budget deficit to widen after oil price slump Malaysia’s new finance minister, Tengku Zafrul, faces the unenviable challenge of dealing with a rapidly deteriorating fiscal position at the same time as the economy is slowing sharply. While the... 10th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update What do falling oil prices mean for Emerging Asia? Most countries in Emerging Asia are net importers of oil, so would usually stand to gain from a big drop in prices. But with the coronavirus continuing to spread and people increasingly avoiding... 9th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea could be next to disrupt global supply chains Korea’s position as a key supplier of high-tech intermediate goods means it plays an important role in regional supply chains. Extended factory closures due to the spread of the coronavirus would... 9th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka to keep rates on hold this year The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) left interest rates unchanged today, and while it kept the door open to loosening, high inflation and the CBSL’s concern over the rupee limits the scope for... 5th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Further rate cuts likely in Malaysia Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) today cut its policy rate from 2.75% to 2.50%, and with headwinds to growth worsening, we think the central bank will ease policy again at its next policy meeting in May. 3rd March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Coronavirus: the long-term impact on supply chains The coronavirus itself may not trigger a wholesale reorganisation of supply chains, but it strengthens the argument for companies to reduce associated risks. One response might be to introduce more... 2nd March 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea holds, but cut still likely The Bank of Korea (BoK) unexpectedly left its main policy rate on hold at 1.25% today. But with the economic cost of the coronavirus mounting, policy support will have to be ramped up soon – we are... 27th February 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Political crisis bad news for Malaysia’s economy The political turmoil that has engulfed Malaysia is likely to undermine the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis and could also set back the progress the country has made in tackling... 24th February 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea: economic impact of coronavirus to worsen With the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Korea jumping sharply over the past few days, the Bank of Korea is almost certain to cut interest rates at its meeting next week. 20th February 2020 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia: prolonged easing cycle unlikely Bank Indonesia (BI) today cut its main policy rate by 25bp to 4.75%, but we doubt this will be the start of a prolonged easing cycle given the country’s relatively limited exposure to the slowdown in... 20th February 2020 · 3 mins read
