Asia Economics Update Pakistan: Latest currency devaluation a stopgap The latest devaluation in the Pakistani rupee has once again put the spotlight on the country’s precarious external position. The government will hope to keep the situation under control until next... 11th June 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Could North Korea be the next Vietnam? Tomorrow’s historic summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore has raised the (distant) prospect of international sanctions against North Korea being lifted, a move that one day could... 11th June 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: What to make of BNM head’s resignation The resignation of Malaysia’s central bank governor amid accusations of corruption at the Bank is an encouraging sign that the new government’s anti-corruption drive is gathering pace. The new... 6th June 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Inflation in the Philippines close to peaking Having nudged higher again in May, inflation in the Philippines probably has a little further to rise. But with food and energy price pressures set to ease over the coming months and the impact of... 5th June 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian markets stumble in May Emerging Asia has not been spared in the recent EM sell-off, but its financial markets have held up better than those in other EM regions. 31st May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Bank Indonesia governor prioritises rupiah stability Bank Indonesia (BI) hiked rates by 25bp today (its second increase in two weeks). We expect further hikes later this year, but we doubt that a repeat of the aggressive tightening cycle seen in 2013 is... 30th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia’s mega-projects could be up for the chop There is growing speculation that Malaysia’s new prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, will cancel some of the huge Chinese-backed infrastructure projects approved by his predecessor. Given Malaysia’s... 28th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea: July rate hike looks unlikely The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its policy rate on hold at 1.50% today, as expected, and there was nothing in the accompanying statement or the governor’s press conference that suggest the BoK will... 24th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Further hikes likely in Indonesia amid rupiah worries The performance of the rupiah will continue to determine the near-term outlook for monetary policy in Indonesia. With the currency likely to remain under downward pressure as Treasury yields in the US... 17th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: GST leaves behind a large gap to fill The decision today by the new Malaysian government to effectively abolish the Goods and Service Tax (GST) from the start of next month should provide a fiscal boost to the economy, but it will leave... 16th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand in no hurry to hike rates The Bank of Thailand unsurprisingly decided to keep its policy rate on hold today at 1.5% against a backdrop of solid economic growth and subdued inflationary pressures. There was nothing in the... 16th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka: At least one more rate cut before year-end After cutting its lending rate just a month ago, it was no surprise that the central bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) decided to leave policy on hold today. However, with inflation benign and the economic... 11th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: What next for monetary policy post-election While Malaysia’s central bank (BNM) left interest rates unchanged at today’s scheduled monetary policy meeting, the outlook for monetary policy has been thrown into considerable uncertainty following... 10th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippines: Aggressive tightening cycle unlikely The Philippines central bank (BSP) today hiked its key policy rate from 3.00% to 3.25%, but also left the door open to further rate increases later this year. While we think interest rates will be... 10th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What to make of Malaysia's shock election Today’s shock victory for former-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in Malaysia’s general election could have far-reaching consequences for the economy. In the near term, there is likely to be a sharp... 9th May 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian currencies wobble Asian currencies have recently lost a bit of ground against the dollar as rising Treasury yields in the US have helped push the greenback higher. Although uncertainty over the outlook for US monetary... 30th April 2018 · 1 min read
