Asia Economics Update Singapore set for a brief recovery The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its policy rate at 2.75% today, as was widely expected. Korea’s economic slowdown has bottomed out, but we think growth is unlikely to rebound strongly and that inflation... 2nd January 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Manufacturing in Asia improves, sustained recovery unlikely The December PMIs showed further signs of improvement for Asia’s manufacturers. However, conditions overall remain weak. An improvement in global sentiment should give a boost to manufacturing sectors... 2nd January 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Zealand still waiting on reconstruction boost New Zealand’s economy grew at a very slow pace in Q3. Reconstruction spending should lend some support next year, but a robust pick-up is unlikely. 20th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan's monetary policy likely to be loosened in 2013 Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) kept its policy rate at 1.875% today, as was widely expected. The economy’s dependence on export-led growth means that the state of external demand will remain the key... 19th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update GDP growth to regain momentum in Sri Lanka GDP growth in Sri Lanka weakened in the third quarter to its slowest pace in three years. However, the economy is likely to pick up slightly in 2013 as a result of looser monetary policy. 19th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India's central bank signals rate cut in early 2013 The Reserve Bank of India had already flagged that it was likely to leave rates unchanged today, at 8.0%. Of more interest was the accompanying statement which points to a rate cut in early 2013 and... 18th December 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update The US fiscal cliff: implications for Asia The nightmare scenario of the US Congress failing to reach a deal on the fiscal cliff would see growth in Asia’s most trade-dependent countries slow by up to 1 percentage point in 2013. 17th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Pakistan's policy rate has further to fall The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) cut its discount rate by 50bp to 9.5% today. We think monetary policy is likely to be loosened further in a bid to revive private sector credit growth, although rate... 14th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's central bank has more work to do The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its policy rate at 2.75% today, as was widely expected. Korea’s economic slowdown has bottomed out, but we think growth is unlikely to rebound strongly and that inflation... 13th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Reforms needed to prevent rise in India's public debt ratio A combination of rapid economic growth and low bond yields has resulted in a gradual decline in India’s public debt ratio since 2003. But the debt ratio will rise again in the coming years if the... 13th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rate cuts in Sri Lanka are premature We believe today’s unexpected rate cut by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) is premature in light of the large external problems still facing the economy. Given the CBSL’s current dovish stance, we... 12th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Can Australia cope as its mining boom cools? Today’s GDP data showed that Australia, unusually for a developed economy, is continuing to grow at speed. But its mining boom is nearing its peak. In the short term, this means that growth will slow... 5th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's central bank likely to cut again The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut its cash rate by 25bp to 3.0% today. We expect the RBA to cut again in early 2013 to support the economy through a cooling of the mining boom. 4th December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Manufacturing stabilises, but sustained pick-up unlikely ahead Today’s PMIs suggest that conditions within most of Asia’s manufacturing sectors either stabilised or strengthened in November. While conditions could improve further over the next few months, we... 3rd December 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indian growth unlikely to pick up next year It may be something of a relief that India’s third quarter GDP figures were no worse than expected. But while growth may have stabilised, we are sceptical that it will pick up in 2013. 30th November 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Strong growth in the Philippines set to fade Economic growth in the Philippines accelerated in the third quarter, boosted by strong domestic demand. Exports have also proved surprisingly resilient. However, with the crisis in the euro-zone set... 28th November 2012 · 1 min read
