Asia Economics Update Thailand’s monetary policy to stay loose throughout 2016 The Bank of Thailand (BoT) unsurprisingly kept its policy rate on hold at 1.50% today ahead of the upcoming US rate decision and amid signs of a stabilising domestic economy. With price pressures... 16th December 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What do the latest falls in oil prices mean for Asia? The boost to regional growth from the recent slide in global oil prices is likely to be quite small unless consumers decide to spend rather than save the latest windfall. 15th December 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea to keep rates on pause through 2016 With the domestic economy on the mend, the Bank of Korea (BoK) left its policy rate unchanged at a record low of 1.50% today. We expect the BoK to keep rates at their current lows throughout 2016. 10th December 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update No sense of panic as Fed hike approaches Asian financial markets have held up well over the past month despite a renewed slump in China’s equity market at the end of last week and growing expectations of a December Fed rate hike. 30th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand’s tourism rebound has run its course The bombings in Bangkok in mid-August have not prevented the tourism sector from giving Thailand’s economy a big boost this year. But a repeat cannot be expected in 2016, which is one reason why GDP... 23rd November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippines to keep interest rates on hold for a while yet Despite low inflation and a recent run of weak activity data, today’s decision by the central bank of the Philippines (BSP) to keep its key policy rate on hold at 4.0% came as no big surprise. Looking... 12th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea to hold rates through 2016 With the domestic economy showing signs of recovery, the Bank of Korea (BoK) left its policy rate unchanged at a record low of 1.50% today. We expect the BoK to keep rates on hold for the rest of 2015... 12th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan’s exports set for recovery Exports from Taiwan have been contracting since the start of the year, but should return to growth soon. An improving export picture could be enough to make the difference between rates staying on... 9th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Where next for Myanmar after the election? The victory for Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party in Sunday’s elections is a welcome step forward for Myanmar. However, the country continues to face major challenges. For... 9th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Economic boost from closer China-Taiwan relationship has been small Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, will try to use his meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jinping in Singapore on Saturday to highlight the big improvement in cross-strait relations during his... 5th November 2015 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Rates to remain on hold in Malaysia throughout 2016 Today’s decision by Malaysia’s central bank (BNM) to keep interest rates on hold at 3.25% indicates that it is more worried about currency weakness than the slowing economy. We expect rates will... 5th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Interest rates to remain low in Thailand for some time yet With the economy starting to show some tentative signs of recovery, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) decided to leave interest rates on hold at 1.50% today. Looking ahead, with inflation likely to remain... 4th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Regaining some lost ground Financial markets in Asia have fallen back following the US Fed’s monetary policy statement on Wednesday, which struck a more hawkish tone than many had expected. Despite the most recent falls, almost... 29th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia’s budget signals continued fiscal discipline The Malaysian government remains committed to keeping the budget deficit in check, despite the fall in oil prices which has hit fiscal revenues hard. This has left the government with little scope to... 26th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rate hikes likely in Sri Lanka next year The central bank in Sri Lanka (CBSL) today kept its deposit and lending rates unchanged at 6.0% and 7.5%, respectively, despite headline inflation having been negative for the last three months. This... 20th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia likely to cut rates before end-2015 The recent rebound in the rupiah was never likely to be enough to persuade Bank Indonesia (BI) to loosen policy, and today’s decision to leave interest rates on hold at 7.5% was no great surprise... 15th October 2015 · 1 min read
