Asia Economics Weekly Philippines: No need to worry about the weak peso Subdued inflation and a relatively low level of foreign currency debt mean the weakness of the Philippine peso, which has recently been hitting multi-year lows against the US dollar, is not a major... 1st September 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Exports to continue supporting regional growth Economic growth held up well across most of Emerging Asia last quarter. Poor prospects for domestic demand mean growth has probably already peaked in many countries, but with exports likely to remain... 25th August 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Remittance slowdown a big risk to South Asia A fall in remittances to Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is a big concern for these economies. If sustained, it could cause growth to weaken and put their currencies under downward pressure. 18th August 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What does the crisis in Korea mean for the markets? Financial markets in Korea and the rest of Emerging Asia have fallen in response to the latest increase in tensions on the Korean peninsula. However, given the scale of the risks involved, the falls... 11th August 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea: Plans to reduce inequality may cause growth to slow Since becoming president of South Korea in May, Moon Jae-in has introduced a range of measures aimed at reducing inequality and cutting youth unemployment. Moon’s policies are likely to boost growth... 4th August 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Election won’t solve Malaysia’s institutional problems There is growing speculation that Malaysia’s prime minister, Najib Razak, will take advantage of the recent strength of the economy by calling an early general election. The weak state of the... 28th July 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Taiwan infrastructure projects to boost growth The Taiwan government’s Infrastructure Development Programme should not only provide a boost to near-term growth at a time when the economy is slowing, but should also improve prospects over the... 21st July 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly KORUS renegotiation could benefit Korea The announcement earlier in the week from the US government that it is formally seeking to renegotiate the Korea-US free trade pact (KORUS) is not a big threat to the Korean economy. The negotiations... 14th July 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly External pressures mounting in Pakistan The “devaluation” of the Pakistani rupee earlier in the week is a reminder of the country’s precarious balance of payments position. Pakistan will soon be forced to either let the currency fall much... 7th July 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asian financial crisis twenty years on There are more differences than similarities between the situation now and the position many Asian countries found themselves in on the eve of the Asian financial crisis 20 years ago. But there is no... 30th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Philippines: Duterte undermining country’s economic prospects One year since coming to power, President Duterte of the Philippines has not been the disaster for the economy that some feared. His wisest move has been to hand over responsibility for economic... 23rd June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly No need to panic over rapid credit growth in the Philippines The recent acceleration in credit growth in the Philippines is unlikely to lead the central bank (BSP) to hike interest rates at its meeting on Thursday. However, it could prompt the BSP to introduce... 16th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly China credit bubble is biggest risk facing Emerging Asia Many of the risks facing Emerging Asia’s economies have receded in recent months. The key exception is the continued rapid build-up of debt in China. A bursting of China’s credit bubble would have... 9th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Policy rates to remain low for longer than consensus expects The region’s rate cutting cycle has come to an end, but with inflation set to remain fairly subdued, interest rates are likely to remain low for some time yet. 2nd June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Credit bubbles – where do the risks lie? We have been arguing for some time that Emerging Asia’s current credit binge is unsustainable, and that credit growth in a number of countries will need to slow for a crisis to be avoided... 26th May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Time to worry about another slowdown in China? Economic growth in Emerging Asia picked up again in the first quarter of the year, thanks largely to stronger export demand. The slowdown that now appears to be underway in China is unlikely to derail... 19th May 2017 · 1 min read
