China Data Response China Activity & Spending (Apr.) The April data were even weaker than expected and are consistent with a sharp contraction in economic activity. Provided that the virus situation continues to improve, the economy should begin to... 16th May 2022 · 3 mins read
China Economics Weekly Testing, testing, testing The outlines of a new, more stringent zero-COVID approach are emerging in China, in the wake of the failure to control infections in Shanghai. If successful, there should be less supply chain... 13th May 2022 · 6 mins read
China Data Response China Bank Lending & Broad Credit (Apr.) Lending was much weaker than expected last month as lockdowns weighed on credit demand. This should nudge the PBOC to announce further easing measures soon. But the central bank continues to signal a... 13th May 2022 · 2 mins read
India Economics Weekly G-SAP redux? The recent jump in bond yields is reportedly causing consternation among policymakers. The big worry is the impact that higher bond yields would have on the trajectory of India’s public debt. This... 13th May 2022 · 4 mins read
Japan Economics Weekly Virus fears waning, Bank of Japan plans could change We doubt that the spike in mobility during Golden Week is a harbinger of a rapid rebound in consumer spending. Mounting concerns about rising living costs and lingering virus fears among the elderly... 13th May 2022 · 7 mins read
China Economics Update No good options Officials are struggling to balance a raft of conflicting goals spanning everything from GDP growth, zero-COVID, exchange rate stability, deleveraging and regulation. We don’t expect much compromise... 12th May 2022 · 6 mins read
India Data Response Consumer Prices (Apr.) & Industrial Production (Mar.) Headline consumer price inflation surged beyond even our above-consensus forecast to an eight-year high of 7.8% y/y in April. Given that it is likely to rise even higher over the coming months... 12th May 2022 · 2 mins read
Frontier Markets Wrap Three positive stories from frontier markets There has been plenty of doom and gloom surrounding the outlook for frontier economies over recent months, particularly Sri Lanka and Tunisia. But there are some places where we hold more upbeat views... 12th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Philippines GDP (Q1) The Philippines economy beat expectations again in Q1 and should have gained further momentum in recent months. But we suspect the strength of the recovery will begin to wane soon. China Drop-In (12... 12th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Focus EM sovereign debt: where do the risks lie? The strong dollar and spill-overs from the war in Ukraine have caused sovereign debt risks to escalate in some frontier markets. But most large EMs have far stronger public sector balance sheets... 11th May 2022 · 14 mins read
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
