Asia Economics Update Australia’s growth momentum looks resilient Economic growth rebounded strongly in the second quarter, strengthening our view that Australia’s recovery is intact despite the fall in output in Q1. Worries about the global outlook obviously add... 8th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Troubles mount for Pakistan’s crisis-hit economy A combination of increasing political violence in Karachi, falling cotton prices, an unsustainable fiscal position and high inflation mean the outlook for Pakistan’s fragile economy remains bleak. 7th September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Growth slowdown in the Philippines to be short-lived The Philippines is the latest country within emerging Asia to report weak Q2 GDP data. Nonetheless, as with elsewhere in the region, growth should rebound in coming quarters as temporary supply-chain... 1st September 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India’s resilient growth to bring more policy tightening India’s second quarter GDP figures, which showed only a marginal deceleration from the first quarter, should dispel any concerns in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that the economy is struggling to... 31st August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Vietnam’s inflation to bring more policy tightening August price data highlight growing concerns over the stubbornly-high rate of inflation in Vietnam. Despite the backdrop of a weak global economy, we believe that the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) is... 26th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Thailand's tightening cycle to end this year In spite of growing downside risks to global growth, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) raised its repo rate by 25bp to 3.5% today. The BoT’s decision-making is being heavily influenced by the outlook for... 25th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update How bad was Q2 GDP in Thailand and elsewhere? Thailand is the latest country within emerging Asia to have reported weak GDP data for the second quarter. Nonetheless, worries that slower growth in the West has already stalled growth in Asia look... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka’s central bank to keep rates on hold until 2012 The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) kept interest rates on hold today, as expected. Although headline inflation crept up slightly in July, the central bank remains confident that inflation will start... 20th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia's growth to be supported by domestic demand Malaysia’s economy grew at a slower pace in Q2 than it did in Q1. Although downside risks for exports have increased, domestic demand should continue to support growth in coming quarters. The upshot... 18th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Reserve Bank of India's policy tightening set to continue India’s latest wholesale price data show that inflation remains uncomfortably high. Meanwhile, we believe that a hard landing for the economy is unlikely. The upshot is that, in spite of the... 17th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Japanese imports from Asia have cooled At the time of the earthquake in Japan in March, many governments in the region feared the potential impact on their economies. However, although Taiwan and the Philippines saw demand for their... 17th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What to make of Singapore's negative interest rates? Singapore’s short-term swap offer rates (SOR) turned negative last week, prompting questions as to whether this amounts to an implicit policy easing. We think not. The negative short-term SOR is... 17th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's central bank in wait-and-see mode The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its base rate at 3.25% today, as expected. Volatility in the financial markets and concerns over the outlook for the global economy are likely to keep the BoK on the... 12th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update How quickly would Asia recover from another global downturn? Fear is growing in Asia over the outlook for the global economy. Although not our forecast, another sharp fall in global output would see Asia hit hard initially. However, as in 2009, Asia’s strong... 11th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia extends pause amid market jitters Bank Indonesia (BI) kept its reference rate on hold at 6.75% today, as expected. Declining headline inflation and greater uncertainty over the outlook for the global economy were the main factors... 10th August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian governments will continue buying US debt Even before S&Ps downgrade of US debt on Friday, many governments in Asia had been stepping up efforts to diversify their foreign exchange reserves away from US dollars. However, as long as Asian... 9th August 2011 · 1 min read
