Asia Economics Weekly India trade boost for Pakistan? Ties between India and Pakistan have warmed in recent months, raising hopes of a normalisation of trade relations. While this would have the potential to boost bilateral trade, we have doubts over how... 23rd April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Challenges for South Korea While the world’s eyes were fixed on the North Korean rocket launch, last week’s election in the South brought into focus some of the challenges its policymakers face, in addition to dealing with... 16th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Burma - Asian tiger or basket case? After decades as an international pariah, Burma is catching the eye of investors. Recent market-friendly reforms, an abundance of natural resources, and proximity to China and India are some of the... 9th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Indonesia - losing its shine? Indonesia’s stock market and currency have been among the worst performing assets in Asia so far this year. The poor performance reflects worries over proposed cuts to fuel subsidies, which will... 2nd April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly High oil prices will not lift inflation The pick-up in oil prices in recent weeks has caused some to fear that inflation in Asia will soon rise sharply. These fears are over-blown. Even if oil prices stayed at current levels, inflation... 26th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Does the US still matter to Asia? The recent run of improved data from the US has led us to raise our US GDP growth forecasts for 2012 and 2013. But we believe that improved prospects for the US will make little difference to emerging... 19th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What to expect from India’s budget After a dismal year for fiscal policy, India’s Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will try to reestablish his credentials for sound fiscal management when he presents the budget to parliament on Friday... 12th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Policymakers in wait-and-see mode The trend in Asia has been towards loosening policy recently. However, signs of stronger global growth and the pick-up in oil prices are likely to persuade central banks across the region to keep... 5th March 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Rate cuts are coming in Vietnam Falling inflation gives the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) scope to cut interest rates to support growth. However, large cuts could end up destabilising the fragile economy. The SBV will need to be... 27th February 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Singapore budget focuses on the medium term Singapore’s FY2012 budget, released on Friday, focused on medium-term issues rather than providing a near-term boost for the economy. The outlook for Singapore’s export-oriented economy is not as bad... 20th February 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia’s buoyant labour markets Asia’s rapid economic rebound following the 2008-09 global crisis has led to sharp falls in unemployment over the past couple of years. This has raised hopes that robust household spending will... 13th February 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Bank Indonesia approaches policy dilemma Inflation has been falling across Asia, and the Q4 GDP data released so far show that growth is slowing too. For the most part, we expect these trends to continue. But Indonesia is an important... 6th February 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly How long will the rebound in Asian currencies last? Most Asian currencies have risen strongly so far this year amid a recovery in global risk appetite. However, the rebound is unlikely to last long. We are of the opinion that the euro-zone will slip... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Inflation has further to fall Inflation rose sharply in 2011 as a whole relative to 2010 across the region. However, we expect below-trend growth and lower commodity prices to pull down inflation significantly this year. With... 23rd January 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Bank of Korea to cut by mid-year The Bank of Korea (BoK) has become increasingly worried about the growth outlook, but lingering inflation concerns are dissuading the central bank from loosening policy. We believe that inflation is... 16th January 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Elections in Asia - what they mean for the region A number of important elections and leadership changes are due to take place across emerging Asia over the next 12 months. The outcomes will have implications for economic policymaking and growth... 9th January 2012 · 1 min read
