Japan Economics Update Large pot of pandemic savings to collect dust The hit to household incomes from higher inflation will be much smaller in Japan than elsewhere and consumers have plenty of pandemic forced savings to tap into to sustain spending. But we nonetheless... 11th May 2022 · 4 mins read
China Data Response China Consumer & Producer Prices (Apr.) Consumer prices rose at a faster pace last month. But inflation remains relatively subdued and there are already signs in the producer price data of upstream price pressures easing. As such, inflation... 11th May 2022 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka: five questions and answers on the crisis The resignation yesterday of the prime minister, the postponement of talks with the IMF, surging inflation and the collapse of the currency are just some of the many problems facing Sri Lanka. In this... 10th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Philippines: What to expect from Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is eager to resume the “Build Build Build” infrastructure programme of his predecessor and pursue closer ties with China. Extra spending on infrastructure would be... 9th May 2022 · 4 mins read
Commodities Update Some bright spots in China’s commodities trade data Energy commodity imports held up relatively well in April given the widespread COVID-19 restrictions. But the trade data throw up some question marks about demand for industrial metals given the... 9th May 2022 · 2 mins read
India Economics Update RBI intervention will support the rupee The Indian rupee hit a record low against the US dollar today, but the big picture is that RBI intervention has helped it hold up better than most EM currencies recently. Given that the RBI has ample... 9th May 2022 · 4 mins read
China Data Response China Trade (Apr.) Goods trade softened further last month. Virus disruptions continued to take a toll but the main headwind to exports is weakening foreign demand. 9th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Japan Data Response Japan Labour Cash Earnings (Mar. 22) Nominal wage growth stayed at 1.2% in March and we think it could touch 2% over the coming months as overtime and bonus payments get back to their pre-virus levels. But with base pay growth still weak... 9th May 2022 · 2 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update What a strong dollar means for EMs While a stronger dollar is generally regarded as a headwind for EMs, we think it will only be a minor one for most major EMs, particularly compared with the headwinds from weakness in China... 6th May 2022 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly Tech sector reprieve, cyclical trough? Officials are turning less hostile toward tech firms. But the economic drag from the regulatory crackdown, which we think has knocked 0.3%-pts off of annual GDP growth, is unlikely to dissipate... 6th May 2022 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly BSP to tighten gradually, Philippines election Despite the sharp jump in inflation in the Philippines last month, the central bank looks set to raise interest rates only gradually. Meanwhile, the key event of the coming week is the presidential... 6th May 2022 · 8 mins read
India Economics Weekly Power shortages, new repo rate forecasts The ongoing heatwave and related power shortages in India pose a downside risk to growth, but we think the biggest risk is the upside one to inflation. Indeed, rising price pressures prompted the RBI... 6th May 2022 · 5 mins read
Japan Economics Weekly 2.5% inflation, border to reopen to tourists in June Despite a huge pot of excess savings accumulated over the past couple of years, today’s 2.5% inflation print for April is likely to slow the post-Omicron recovery by spooking consumers not used to... 6th May 2022 · 5 mins read
Commodities Update Not just Indonesia export ban boosting palm oil prices We expect Indonesia’s latest ban on palm oil exports to be short-lived, but constrained supply and the high prices of other edible oils, coupled with elevated oil prices, will support the price of... 5th May 2022 · 3 mins read
India Data Response PMI Surveys (Apr.) India’s April PMIs show activity picking up, but power shortages may weigh on output soon. The surveys also provide more evidence of price pressures growing. That suggests the RBI will follow up... 5th May 2022 · 2 mins read
India Economics Update Hawks take flight at the RBI The Reserve Bank today turned even more hawkish with an unscheduled, unconventional 40bp hike that takes the repo rate to 4.40%. We had been among the early hawks on Indian monetary policy and were... 4th May 2022 · 3 mins read
