Emerging Markets Trade Monitor EM export downturn deepens The value of EM exports fell at the sharpest rate in more than five years in January. The timing of Chinese New Year was partly to blame, and an improvement is almost guaranteed in February, given the... 12th March 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's rate cut likely marks end of cutting cycle The Bank of Korea (BoK) reduced its policy rate by 25 basis points to 1.75% today, adding to a growing list of central banks that have cut rates this year. But Korea's high household debt levels... 12th March 2015 · 1 min read
EM Markets Chart Pack Fragile EM currencies set for further weakness The fall in emerging market currencies since the beginning of this year has picked up pace this month. Two main forces appear to have been at work. First, the depreciation of the euro has led the... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand's rate cut likely to be a one-off The Bank of Thailand (BoT) joined the global shift toward monetary loosening today, cutting its policy rate by 25bp to 1.75%. Looking ahead, we think the BoT will keep rates on hold in the coming... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Assessing the fallout from the EM currency slump Most EM currencies have weakened substantially against the US dollar this year. For a few EMs with large dollar debts, such as Turkey, this could lead to financial strains. And the impact of currency... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
India Data Response Current Account (Q4) India’s current account deficit narrowed in Q4 and remains far smaller than in 2013 when the rupee plunged to record lows against the US dollar. With this improvement set to be maintained, there is... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update What should we look at if we don’t trust the GDP data? The recent revisions to historic GDP data have been the source of much confusion, not least within the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In this Update, we look at four indicators that the RBI appears to... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Fragile five whittled down to three The fragile five have been whittled down to three as economic reforms have helped to reduce the vulnerability of the Indian rupee and Indonesian rupiah to the recent bout of emerging market currency... 9th March 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Can the RBI meet its new inflation targets? Forthcoming consumer price inflation data for February should show that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) remains on course to meet its target for the start of 2016, which has now been formalised under... 9th March 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What would a property price collapse mean for Taiwan? Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission caused a stir recently when it warned of the rising risk of a property price crash. Although the economy is unlikely to escape unscathed if property prices... 6th March 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Financial Risk Monitor Venezuela in crisis, but EM risks generally low Our updated Capital Economic Risk Indicator (CERI) reports that the overall level of emerging market (EM) risk remains at a decade low, but that concerns remain about a handful of countries. Venezuela... 5th March 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Tin prices to rise even without an Indonesian export ban After recording a small surplus in 2014, we expect the tin market to plunge back into deficit this year and prices to rise. As such, any attempt by Indonesia’s producers to curb exports may be... 5th March 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Philippines CPI (Feb.) Consumer price inflation in the Philippines picked up slightly in February, but remains comfortably towards the lower end of the central bank’s (BSP) target range. Although we expect inflation to rise... 5th March 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia unlikely to join the rate-cutting club Despite a recent drop in inflation, the Malaysian central bank (BNM) kept its policy rate on hold at 3.25% today. While several central banks in the region have eased monetary policy this year, we... 5th March 2015 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update What next for India’s financial markets? Despite the prospect of further monetary easing from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), we forecast that the country’s stock market will end this year barely any higher than it is now. On a more... 4th March 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM manufacturing activity steady, but sluggish The latest PMI data suggest that manufacturing growth across the emerging world remained stable, yet sluggish, in the first couple of months of this year. Some of the larger EMs are still struggling... 4th March 2015 · 1 min read