Asia Economics Update Manufacturing PMIs support case for policy loosening Purchasing Managers’ Indices (PMIs) released today for India, Korea, Taiwan and Australia confirm that manufacturing in these countries is weak. With fears for growth rising and inflation trending... 1st December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand's central bank to cut further The Bank of Thailand (BoT) lowered its policy rate by 25bp to 3.25% today in a bid to lift confidence and activity following recent floods. The economy is almost certain to contract in Q4 and weak... 30th November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indian economy slows, but worse is yet to come GDP figures released today confirm that India’s economy slowed sharply in the third quarter of this year, even before the latest drop in business surveys and exports. With tight monetary policy... 30th November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Weak Philippines’ growth opens the door to rate cuts The Philippines reported weak Q3 GDP data today on the back of a slump in exports. Growth is likely to remain sluggish in the coming quarters. The poor state of the economy means the central bank is... 28th November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What next for the Indian rupee? The fall in the rupee is mainly a result of global factors and is likely to be reversed when global sentiment improves. However, with the euro crisis set to drag on, that may be several months away. 23rd November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Thailand set to loosen monetary policy Thailand’s Q3 GDP data show that the economy was struggling even before the flood situation worsened in late October. With activity weak, confidence flagging and fears for the global economy... 21st November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update How bad is Vietnam’s fiscal position? Vietnam’s fiscal position has deteriorated in recent years. Debt levels would be even higher if contingent liabilities of the banking sector and state-owned enterprises are included. The biggest risk... 21st November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rising downside risks to growth in India Wholesale price data for October, released today, suggest India’s inflation rate is still not at a turning point. Meanwhile, recent evidence shows economic activity has slowed more steeply than... 14th November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Central banks of Korea and Malaysia to cut rates in 2012 Policy rates were left unchanged in Korea and Malaysia today, but both central banks are becoming increasingly concerned about the downside risks for exports. We expect policymakers in both countries... 11th November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia is cutting rates too aggressively Bank Indonesia (BI) unexpectedly cut its policy rate today by 50bp to 6.0%. Following a 25bp cut last month, strong third quarter GDP growth and continued rapid credit expansion, we think the central... 10th November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia's economy to outperform Indonesia’s economy continued to grow strongly in the third quarter amid buoyant domestic demand and booming exports. Although global demand looks unlikely to remain so supportive for long, Indonesia... 7th November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Where and why we differ from the consensus We have below-consensus forecasts for interest rates and GDP growth in emerging Asia next year. The main reason for the difference relates to our views on growth in the developed world and commodity... 7th November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's central bank to cut further The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lowered its cash rate by 25bp to 4.5% today,moving its policy settings towards a more neutral rather than restrictive stance. We expect conditions outside of the... 1st November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Emerging Asia PMIs point to further slowdown October manufacturing PMIs for Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, Korea and India released today remained weak, and are at or around their lowest levels since the 2008-09 global financial crisis. With... 1st November 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Export weakness not Taiwan's only concern Taiwan always struggles when global demand slows and the coming year will be no exception. But the relative weakness of Taiwan’s labour market is a second reason to think that GDP growth in 2012 will... 31st October 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea’s growth to be sluggish next year Today’s Q3 GDP data from Korea confirm that the economy grew at a sub-trend pace in the third quarter. Growth is unlikely to pick up sharply over the next few quarters amid weak global conditions... 28th October 2011 · 1 min read
