Asia Data Response Thailand GDP (Q4) Thailand’s growth eased slightly in the final quarter of 2015, to a seasonally-adjusted 0.8% q/q from 1.0% the quarter before. While fiscal spending should help prop up the economy in 2016, the pace... 15th February 2016 · 1 min read
India Data Response Consumer Prices (Jan.) & Industrial Production (Dec.) Today’s CPI data for January confirm that the Reserve Bank was successful in meeting its near-term inflation target but also highlight the difficult task the RBI faces in achieving its medium-term... 12th February 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Philippines: Time to worry about remittance slowdown? The recent slowdown in remittances to the Philippines is not a major cause for concern. In fact, with other sectors of the economy, notably manufacturing and business outsourcing, growing strongly... 12th February 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Have the gold schemes been a success? The government’s two new schemes aimed at reducing gold imports have had mixed results in their early stages. The Gold Monetisation Scheme has attracted little interest, while the Sovereign Gold Bond... 11th February 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippines to keep rates on hold The decision by the central bank of the Philippines (BSP) to keep its main policy rate on hold at 4.0% came as no surprise. With growth picking up but inflation low, we doubt the central bank will be... 11th February 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea’s debt binge to weigh on growth The sharp rise in Korea’s private sector debt over the past decade has raised concerns about financial stability. While there are good reasons to believe that a crisis is not in the offing, Korea will... 10th February 2016 · 1 min read
India Data Response GDP (Q4) Today’s release of another set of strong GDP data alongside upward revisions to earlier quarters’ growth rates is more likely to deepen doubts about the quality of the official data than improve... 8th February 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Can EMs exploit weaker currencies? EMs are much better placed now than in the past to weather potential problems caused by sharp drops in their currencies. But by the same token, those EMs that have seen the largest falls in their... 8th February 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Should Bangladesh be getting more attention? Bangladesh is one of the best-placed countries in Asia to take advantage of rising costs in China, and we expect it to grow by around 6% a year on average over the next decade. Given its size and... 5th February 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Budget proposals could stoke price pressures Inflation is likely to have risen at the start of 2016 on account of a further small rise in food inflation. Looking ahead, the FY16/17 budget is likely to incorporate a significant rise in public... 5th February 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Indonesia GDP (Q4) Indonesia’s growth picked up to 5.0% y/y in Q4, from 4.7% in Q3, but the expansion was still well below the 5.8% average recorded over the past decade. Looking ahead, looser monetary policy should... 5th February 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand to keep rates unchanged in 2016 The Bank of Thailand’s (BoT) decision to keep its policy rate unchanged at 1.50% today came as no surprise. With the economy gradually recovering and the government stepping up efforts to support... 3rd February 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update RBI holds rates, no change likely in 2016 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its repo rate on hold at 6.75% today and, while the consensus is expecting further modest loosening later this year, we think that rates will remain unchanged... 2nd February 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM PMI edges up January’s PMIs suggest that stabilisation in manufacturing across EMs continued at the start of the year. It’s particularly encouraging that conditions are no longer getting worse in Brazil and Russia... 1st February 2016 · 1 min read
India Data Response Manufacturing PMI (Jan.) India's manufacturing PMI rose at the start of 2016, but the reading remains weak by past standards. The big picture is that local industry continues to face significant structural headwinds. 1st February 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jan.) The January PMIs for Emerging Asia were generally disappointing and underline the fragility of the region’s manufacturing recovery. 1st February 2016 · 1 min read
