Asia Economics Update More rate hikes likely in the Philippines Today’s 50bp rate hike in the Philippines comes in response to a further rise in inflation and is unlikely to be the last in the current cycle. We are expecting rates to rise by at least a further... 27th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Further rate hikes likely in Indonesia Today’s 25 basis point rate hike by Bank Indonesia is unlikely to be the last in the current cycle. With the rupiah set to remain under downward pressure over the coming months, we expect at least two... 27th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update KORUS signed, but protectionist threat remains The revised Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS) that was formally signed yesterday removes one of the potential downside risks for Korean exporters. However, with the US-China trade war intensifying... 25th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Why rate hikes in Thailand would be a bad idea The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left its policy rate unchanged at 1.50% today, but the hawkish tone of accompanying statement suggests that rate hikes are in the pipeline. With inflationary pressures very... 19th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The winners and losers from the latest tariffs on China US plans to impose tariffs on an additional $200bn of Chinese imports are unlikely to have a significant impact on most economies in Emerging Asia, including China. Over the long term there could even... 18th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Exports to slow, even if trade war is avoided Asian exports are holding up well for now, but this strength is unlikely to last. Even if the current drift towards an all-out trade war between the US and China is halted (which we doubt), weaker... 13th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Most central banks unlikely to follow the Philippines Indonesia and the Philippines are likely to tighten monetary policy aggressively over the rest of this year. The Philippines may even call an emergency policy meeting in the face of soaring inflation... 12th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Weak labour market to drag on Korea’s economy Korea’s labour market has deteriorated significantly in recent months, and August data due tomorrow are likely to show that conditions remain weak. The government unveiled plans for a sharp rise in... 11th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What next for the Indonesian rupiah? Supporting the rupiah is increasingly becoming the central pre-occupation for Bank Indonesia and the government. We think the central bank will raise interest rates at least twice more before the end... 6th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Assessing the economic impact of recent market falls The macro impact of the recent falls in Asian markets is likely to be relatively small for most economies. The exceptions are the Philippines and Indonesia, where weaker currencies have forced... 5th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: BNM unlikely to change policy With growth easing and inflation very low, Bank Negara Malaysia’s decision to leave its main policy rate on hold at 3.25% today was no surprise. While the risks are skewed towards looser policy, we... 5th September 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea: rate hike this year looking increasingly unlikely The Bank of Korea’s (BoK) decision to leave interest rates on hold at 1.50% today came as no great surprise given the recent deterioration in the labour market. Looking ahead, with headwinds to growth... 31st August 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Further slowdown ahead Growth only slowed a touch in Emerging Asia last quarter, but weakening export demand and tighter monetary policy mean that the region’s economies are likely to cool further over the next year or so. 23rd August 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea’s household debt overhang a constraint on growth Household debt in Korea has surged in recent years, raising fears of a messy unwinding. But while a financial crisis is unlikely to materialise, the debt overhang will act as a constraint on growth. A... 21st August 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What to make of Indonesia’s populist budget? Indonesia’s budget for next year envisages a big increase in cash handouts, and is clearly aimed at boosting support for the president ahead of next year’s general election. Worryingly, however, the... 17th August 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Further tightening to come in Indonesia Today’s rate hike by Bank Indonesia (BI) comes against a backdrop of continued weak economic growth and subdued inflation, and demonstrates that BI’s main focus remains supporting the currency. With... 15th August 2018 · 1 min read
