India Data Response Trade (May) India's trade data for May are a mixed bag, with the trade deficit narrowing despite another contraction in export growth. The big picture, however, is that India's external position is far less a... 16th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Sri Lanka GDP (Q1) Sri Lanka’s economy grew by 6.4% y/y in the first quarter of the year, unchanged from the final quarter of last year. Looking ahead, while the economy should continue to grow at a decent pace in 2015... 15th June 2015 · 1 min read
India Data Response Wholesale Prices (May) Wholesale price inflation edged up in May, but it remains firmly in negative territory and close to its lowest rate since the series began in 2005. Importantly, core inflation fell further, providing... 15th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia’s credit slowdown has not eliminated risks Credit growth has continued to slow in the economies which we previously highlighted at greatest risk of a financial crisis. However, with credit still expanding at a faster pace than nominal GDP... 12th June 2015 · 1 min read
India Data Response Consumer Prices (May) & Industrial Production (Apr.) Consumer price inflation edged up in May but not enough to put the Reserve Bank’s inflation target under threat. 12th June 2015 · 1 min read
EM Markets Chart Pack What next for EM dollar-denominated sovereign bonds? Emerging market dollar-denominated government bonds have significantly underperformed their local currency counterparts since the end of April. However, this has generally been due to a surge in... 11th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update MERS threat triggers rate cut in Korea, further cuts difficult The Bank of Korea (BoK) today cut its policy rate to a new record low of 1.50% amid growing economic risks from the recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). But the hurdle for... 11th June 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update External vulnerabilities diminishing India’s current account deficit narrowed in Q1 and, along with the pick-up in net FDI inflows, this has helped to boost the overall balance of payments position to its largest surplus since 2008. With... 11th June 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Malaysia Monthly Palm Oil Data (May) Data released today by Malaysia’s Palm Oil Board show that crude palm oil production continued to grow in May, albeit at a slower pace than the previous two months, while inventories hit their highest... 10th June 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Consumers stifled by banking sector and labour market woes Indian consumers have struggled in recent months despite the tailwinds of lower inflation and reductions in interest rates. This can be explained in part by continued problems in the labour market and... 10th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand holds rates, but further easing can't be ruled out yet The Bank of Thailand's (BoT) decision to keep interest rates unchanged at 1.50% today came as no surprise, but with the economy still in a fragile state it is too soon to call the end of the easing... 10th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update MERS raises economic risks in Korea If Asia’s experience with SARS is anything to go by, the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Korea could have a short-lived but quite sharp negative impact on Korea’s economy. We... 8th June 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Oil windfall felt unevenly across EMs The fall in oil prices hasn’t so far been the boon for household spending in the emerging world that might have been expected, but it does appear to have contributed to stronger private consumption in... 8th June 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Monsoon threat to inflation overplayed Inflation is likely to have stayed subdued in May. There are rising concerns that a weaker-than-normal monsoon could push inflation up in the months ahead. But we remain sanguine: many factors in... 8th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What would the Philippines look like without Aquino? With just one year to go before presidential elections in the Philippines, attention is turning to who will replace the current president, Benigno Aquino. The current president deserves much credit... 5th June 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Labour market reform: can Mr Modi learn lessons from the states? Slow progress in liberalising India’s rigid labour market has been one of the biggest disappointments of PM Modi’s first year in power, but there are signs of improvement at state level, most notably... 5th June 2015 · 1 min read
