Asia Economics Update Australian rates to stay low for longer than generally thought The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its policy rate on hold at 2.5% at its meeting today, as widely expected. With recent data weak, most analysts have reined in their expectations for policy... 2nd September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Manufacturing recovery intact, but headwinds persist While the region's manufacturing sector recovery remains intact, the August PMIs for Emerging Asia are a reminder that a strong and sustainable pick-up is still some way away. 1st September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indian Q2 GDP likely to be as good as it gets for some time Today’s Q2 GDP data for India, which show that the economy grew at its fastest pace since Q1 2012, come as welcome news. But we suspect that this might be as good as it gets for some time. Both fiscal... 29th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian financial markets higher, but political risks weigh on Pakistan Most of Asia’s stock markets and currencies strengthened in August. The key exception is Pakistan, where political uncertainty has returned to the fore. 28th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Growth in the Philippines to accelerate further GDP growth in the Philippines accelerated in the second quarter of the year, due to a strong contribution from net exports. Looking ahead, prospects for both exports and domestic demand look healthy... 28th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Emerging Asia has less to fear from Fed tightening The trend over the past year in most of Emerging Asia has been towards bigger current account surpluses or smaller deficits. This should make their currencies less vulnerable to any negative shifts in... 21st August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand’s economic recovery will take time Thailand's economic performance improved in the second quarter, following the military coup in late May that has helped calm political unrest and boosted confidence in the economy. Growth is set to... 18th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Strong Malaysian economy can withstand more rate hikes Malaysia's economy accelerated for the fifth straight quarter in Q2, supported by strong export growth. Although Malaysia’s headline growth rate is likely to drop off in the second half of the year as... 15th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Further rate cuts in Korea unlikely Today’s interest rate cut by the Bank of Korea (BoK) is unlikely to mark the start of a prolonged period of policy easing. In fact, with growth likely to bounce back strongly in the second half of the... 14th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indian data leaves RBI in a bind Today’s industrial production and inflation data for India were a disappointment. The slowdown in industrial production growth cast doubt on the recent recovery of the sector, while the sharp rise in... 12th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What will Fed rate hikes mean for Asia? EM assets sold off sharply last year after the US Fed hinted that QE was on borrowed time, with some of Asia's major economies getting caught up in the turmoil. Markets have become jittery again in... 8th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand to keep rates on hold until 2015 The Bank of Thailand (BoT) unsurprisingly held its policy rate at 2.0% at its meeting today amid an improving growth outlook. But as the economy may take some time to achieve a sustained recovery, we... 6th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indian rates could be cut sooner than expected The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) left its policy rates on hold today, as expected, but with inflation on a downward trend there should be scope for the RBI to cut rates sooner than most analysts expect... 5th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Weak Indonesian growth a challenge for new president A breakdown of today’s GDP data show weak domestic demand as the main factor responsible for the slowdown in Indonesia’s economy last quarter. The disappointing figures act as a timely reminder of the... 5th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australian rates to stay on hold for some time yet The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its policy rate on hold at 2.5% again today, and reiterated in its statement that it does not expect to make any rate changes in the near term. We think the... 5th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update July PMIs point to strengthening recovery The July PMIs for Emerging Asia show that the region's manufacturing sectors generally fared well over the past month. Encouragingly, rising new orders suggests the recovery has further to run. 1st August 2014 · 1 min read
