Asia Economics Update Assessing the potential economic impact of MERS in Korea Based on the limited data available so far it looks like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has already taken a toll on Korea’s economy. In this Update, we outline our best and worse case... 16th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update MERS threat triggers rate cut in Korea, further cuts difficult The Bank of Korea (BoK) today cut its policy rate to a new record low of 1.50% amid growing economic risks from the recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). But the hurdle for... 11th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand holds rates, but further easing can't be ruled out yet The Bank of Thailand's (BoT) decision to keep interest rates unchanged at 1.50% today came as no surprise, but with the economy still in a fragile state it is too soon to call the end of the easing... 10th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update MERS raises economic risks in Korea If Asia’s experience with SARS is anything to go by, the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Korea could have a short-lived but quite sharp negative impact on Korea’s economy. We... 8th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Weak yen not to blame for Korean export woes Subdued global demand, rather than the strength of the Korean won against the Japanese yen is to blame for the poor recent performance of Korean exports. 1st June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian currencies fall, bond yields rise Most currencies sold off against the US dollar in May. Meanwhile, the region’s bond markets have settled down in recent weeks, after being briefly caught up in the global bond market sell-off earlier... 29th May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Is Pakistan repeating the same old mistakes? The aggressive series of rate cuts by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) over the last six months suggests that it may, once again, have become too complacent over the medium-term inflation outlook. 25th May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia in no rush to cut rates despite low inflation Inflation in Malaysia looks set to remain low despite the introduction of a 6% Goods and Service Tax (GST), which came into force at the start of April. Although subdued inflation will give the... 22nd May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand one year on from the coup One year on from the military coup in Thailand, political order has been restored and the economy has returned to growth. But with the country no closer to a lasting solution to its long-running... 21st May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rate cuts before year-end likely in Indonesia Bank Indonesia (BI) today left its main policy rate on hold at 7.50%, but relaxed macro prudential policy in a bid to support the weak economy. We expect interest rates to be eased later in the year... 19th May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's rate-cutting cycle is over The Bank of Korea (BoK) today left its policy rate unchanged at a record low of 1.75% amid concerns about the rapid increase in Korea's household debt. We think the BoK’s rate-cutting cycle has now... 15th May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippines in no rush to adjust monetary policy The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) left interest rates on hold today. With the economy set to continue growing at a decent pace, the Philippines is unlikely to join in the region’s interest... 14th May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia’s rate pause to continue through 2015 The Malaysian central bank (BNM) kept its policy rate on hold at 3.25% today. The key uncertainty in the months ahead is how spending reacts to April’s tax hike. As things stand though, we expect... 7th May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Vietnam’s dong devaluation not about export competitiveness Today’s 1% devaluation of the dong by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) is unlikely to provide much of a boost to exports, as some have suggested. Looking ahead, we are only expecting minor adjustments... 7th May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian currencies regain lost ground Most currencies in Emerging Asia recovered some ground against the US dollar in April as investors pushed back their expectations for rate hikes in the US. Equity markets also started the month... 30th April 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Thailand to adopt wait-and-see stance Against a backdrop of weak growth, negative inflation and government pressure for further easing, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) cut its policy rate by 25 basis points for the second straight meeting... 29th April 2015 · 1 min read
