Asia Economics Focus Asia’s Tiger economies are getting harder to follow Despite the growing protectionist threat from the US, a combination of rising automation and the migration of some productive capacity into the cheaper interior mean that China is likely to remain a... 10th April 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Trade war fears mount The growing threat of a US-China trade war is the key risk to the outlook. The tariff measures announced so far don’t amount to much, but any escalation in trade tensions that leads to a significant... 5th April 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update US-China trade tensions and the impact on EMs The proposed US tariffs on imports of Chinese goods could have knock-on effects on other EMs, especially in East Asia, via supply chains. And countries such as Turkey are vulnerable to a deterioration... 4th April 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka cuts rates, loosening will be gradual The central bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) today cut its lending rate by 25bp. While further monetary policy loosening looks likely against a backdrop of weak growth and easing inflation, aggressive rate... 4th April 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Mar.) Emerging Asia’s PMIs for March suggest the region’s manufacturing sectors ended last quarter on a softer note. Focussing on the two economies where the PMIs most closely track the hard data, Taiwan’s... 2nd April 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian equities down on protectionist fears Fears of a trade war between the US and China have weighed on Asian equities over the past month. In contrast, currency markets have been largely unaffected. 29th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Are Asian countries manipulating their currencies? The US Treasury is due to report next month which of its major trading partners, if any, have been manipulating their currencies for unfair advantage. Currently, Thailand is the only country in... 29th March 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economic Outlook Protectionist clouds gather As long as they aren’t followed by far more extensive trade sanctions than have been seen to date, the protectionist clouds looming over the global economy are unlikely to have a major bearing on... 28th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rates to stay on hold in Thailand With the economy in good shape and inflationary pressures subdued, the Bank of Thailand unsurprisingly decided to keep its policy rate on hold today at 1.5%. The accompany statement reiterated that... 28th March 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor Better news at the start of Q1 Having slowed over the final quarter of last year, our GDP Tracker suggests that EM growth nudged up for the first time in five months in January. 27th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Impact of KORUS changes is small Korea looks to have emerged from the Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS) re-negotiations unscathed, but rising trade tensions between the US and China remain a threat to its export sector. 26th March 2018 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EMs in a world of rising bond yields The EMs with the largest debt burdens are (unsurprisingly) most vulnerable to a spike in global borrowing costs. However, interest rates are only one of several components that determine debt... 21st March 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack EM central banks still not following the Fed The Fed is likely to raise interest rates once again this week but, from the perspective of EMs, the most striking thing remains how few central banks have followed in the Fed’s footsteps. As our... 20th March 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor US tariff action on China would hit other EMs too Media reports suggest that the US is planning to impose more extensive tariffs on China. This could have a significant knock-on impact for a number of economies in Emerging Asia (Taiwan, Malaysia... 16th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Which central banks are most likely to deliver surprises? Central banks across Emerging Asia typically do a poor job at flagging up their decisions in advance, which often leads to investors being wrong-footed. Since the start of 2010, under half of interest... 16th March 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Emerging Asia not turning its back on free trade Less than a week after the official launch of the 11-country Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) at a ceremony in Chile, other countries are already queuing... 14th March 2018 · 1 min read
