Asia Economics Update Malaysia making progress in escaping middle income trap Malaysia has made decent progress in its bid to transition to high-income status by 2020. However, further reforms to enhance economic competitiveness are crucial to sustaining strong growth. 27th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korean government growth target unlikely to be met President Park Geun-hye’s plans to raise trend growth to 4% by 2017 are unlikely to succeed. In fact, we see trend growth in Korea slowing to around 2% over the next decade. 25th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore budget looks to the long term Today’s budget for the coming fiscal year targets a small surplus, which comes as no surprise given the reasonably upbeat short-term outlook for the economy and lingering concerns over inflation. But... 21st February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore's export outlook is upbeat, but it faces domestic drags Today’s GDP data showed that Singapore's economy ended 2013 on a strong note. Recovery in advanced economies should support growth this year, even as domestic factors act as drags. Given the healthy... 20th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India’s auto industry highlights weakness of domestic demand Domestic demand in India remains lacklustre, overshadowing the encouraging performance of exports. Trends in the auto industry provide a case in point, as healthy passenger vehicle exports have not... 18th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand’s economy to struggle amid unresolved political crisis Thailand’s economy was not as badly damaged by the outbreak of political unrest in Q4 last year as we had feared, but with the disruption escalating since late December, much worse probably lies ahead... 17th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia to keep rates on hold until 2015 Bank Indonesia (BI) today left interest rates on hold for a third consecutive month. With the rupiah showing signs of resilience, inflation likely to fall back in the second half of the year, and the... 13th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea in no rush to tighten monetary policy The Bank of Korea’s (BoK) decision to keep interest rates on hold for a ninth consecutive month comes against a background of weak price pressures. Looking ahead, with inflation set to remain subdued... 13th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India's policy options limited by stubborn inflation Today’s output and inflation data from India were, in each case, a little better than expected but they won’t drive away the dark cloud that hangs over the outlook for the economy. Industrial... 12th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Export sector to drive Malaysia’s growth The acceleration in Malaysia’s economy in the final quarter of 2013 reinforces our view that the central bank is likely to tighten monetary policy sooner rather than later. While policy tightening... 12th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rupee stability key to relaxation of India’s gold import curbs The rupee has come through the recent EM turbulence largely unscathed. But the authorities have hinted at the possibility of easing the gold import curbs that have reduced the trade deficit and... 11th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rajan is laying foundations for long-term growth in India After five months in office, nobody would accuse Raghuram Rajan of keeping a low profile. Rarely has a central bank governor been such a regular fixture in local papers. The global media is also... 10th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rates to be kept low in the Philippines to support reconstruction Today’s decision by the central bank in the Philippines (BSP) to keep interest rates on hold at a record low of just 3.5% came as no surprise. With the recent increase in inflation likely to prove... 6th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Industrial production recovery to boost regional growth The full set of Emerging Asia GDP data for the final quarter of 2013 is yet to be released, but our tracker suggests the region as a whole struggled for momentum. Weak industrial production was a key... 6th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesian growth unlikely to accelerate further Indonesia's economy accelerated slightly in Q4, but growth was still below 6% for the third consecutive quarter. With monetary policy set to remain tight, inflation eating into consumers’ purchasing... 5th February 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia holds rates and takes cuts off the agenda The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) held its cash rate at 2.5% today, as expected. Moreover, it strongly suggested that it is does not expect to change policy in the foreseeable future. For now... 4th February 2014 · 1 min read
