Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Fiscal consolidation is put on the backburner The 2023/24 Budget unveiled yesterday by Treasurer Jim Chalmers was something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the modest spending measures proposed by the government will not break the bank, thanks... 10th May 2023 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update China’s commodity imports likely to remain soft China’s commodity imports were generally weak in April. We suspect that import volumes generally could soften a bit further as any reopening effect on commodity demand fades and export demand... 9th May 2023 · 2 mins read
China Rapid Response China Trade (Apr.) China’s export volumes partially reversed March’s jump last month. Shipments of most consumer goods declined due to weak global demand except for those of electric vehicles. Given the gloomy outlook... 9th May 2023 · 3 mins read
Japan Data Response Japan Labour Cash Earnings (Mar. 2023) Wage growth held steady in March from February, as a further slowdown in regular and overtime pay growth was offset by a decent increase in volatile payments. We still see further scope for wage... 9th May 2023 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Focus Will Thailand’s prospects improve after the election? Provided Thailand’s general election on 14th May does not set off a new round of political unrest and violence, the economy should grow strongly this year. But the long-term outlook is challenging... 8th May 2023 · 13 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly More good news on inflation Price pressures across Emerging Asia are continuing to ease. While headline inflation has been on a broadly downward trend since around the third quarter of last year, the most encouraging development... 5th May 2023 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly Consumer spending is back on track The Labour Day holiday was a key test of China’s consumer recovery. It passed with flying colours – domestic travel and tourism returned to normal, while retail sales look to have returned to the pre... 5th May 2023 · 8 mins read
India Economics Weekly Strength of PMIs unlikely to support another rate hike The PMI surveys for April released this week suggest that India’s economy started Q2 on a strong footing. But they are at odds with several other indicators that point to an unspectacular near-term... 5th May 2023 · 5 mins read
Event EM Asia Drop-In: Thailand’s election and near to long-term economic risks 1683792000 The Thai economy is poised for recovery this year, but before that the country faces a contentious general election on 14th May which could be a trigger for fresh political unrest.
Asia Data Response Indonesia GDP (Q1) Economic growth in Indonesia was unchanged at 5.0% y/y in the first quarter of the year, but we think growth will slow over coming months as tight monetary policy and weaker exports drag on activity. 5th May 2023 · 2 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Wage growth has yet to peak Pay hikes under Australia's private-sector enterprise bargaining agreements have gained traction. Although annualised wage growth will climb higher over the course of the year, we still expect a... 5th May 2023 · 4 mins read
Japan Economics Weekly Wage growth set to moderate as labour market cools The Bank of Japan thinks that more pronounced labour shortages at smaller firms will prompt them to eventually catch up with bigger firms by granting larger pay hikes. However, with the labour market... 5th May 2023 · 5 mins read
Commodities Update Commodity prices to struggle in the next few months The key message from the latest China PMIs is that whilst China’s economy is likely to grow strongly this quarter, momentum is fading. This will be one factor weighing on commodity prices in the near... 4th May 2023 · 2 mins read
Japan Economics Update Wage growth stronger than official figures suggest The slowdown in regular earnings at the start of the year largely reflects sampling changes, with an unchanged sample of firms reporting continued strong wage growth. However, with inflation set to... 4th May 2023 · 2 mins read
