Emerging Markets Economics Focus What does the “services revolution” mean for EMs? Improvements in technology are making it increasingly easy to trade services. This has led some commentators to argue that services can become a more viable driver of EM growth, allowing EMs to break... 14th August 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly India’s new central bank governor to keep a tight rein Last week India appointed Raghuram Rajan, a former chief economist at the IMF, as the new governor of the Reserve Bank (RBI). The new governor takes over at a tricky time, with India’s economy... 12th August 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor EM trade steadies after first half slowdown There are some signs in the latest EM trade data that the slowdown in exports witnessed over the first half of this year has eased. Even so, export growth remains broadly flat in year-on-year terms in... 8th August 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update No change in Korean rates on the horizon The Bank of Korea’s (BoK) decision to keep interest rates on hold today was no great surprise given continued low inflation and recent signs of a pick-up in GDP growth. We expect to see rates on hold... 8th August 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EMs likely to tread carefully with energy subsidy reform High global energy prices have contributed to rising subsidy spending across much of the emerging world. Some EMs have already started to cut back on subsidies. But fears of inflation and civil unrest... 6th August 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia to keep policy loose as mining boom cools The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut its cash rate by 25bp to 2.5% at its meeting today. It is likely to keep rates very low over the next two years to support the economy through a mining slowdown... 6th August 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia’s consumers seeing mixed fortunes For all the hype about the rise of the Asian consumer, the recent performance of consumer spending in Asia has been disappointing. The weakness is largely explained by subdued spending in the region’s... 5th August 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM PMI falls to four-year low Our EM-wide PMI estimate suggests that conditions in emerging market manufacturing are now the weakest they have been since early 2009. 2nd August 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia‘s growth likely to stay stuck at around 6% Data released today showed that the pace of economic growth in Indonesia eased slightly in Q2. Higher inflation and tighter monetary policy will weigh on the economy over the next year, and we are... 2nd August 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update “Great Deceleration” has long since begun Recent talk of a looming “Great Deceleration” in EM growth has tended to miss the crucial fact that the emerging world has already been slowing for several years. In this Update we summarise five key... 1st August 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update July PMIs point to continued manufacturing weakness The July PMIs for Emerging Asia point to weakening conditions in the region’s manufacturing sectors. Both output and new orders were especially disappointing. We maintain our view that fragile global... 1st August 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan set for gradual recovery GDP data released today showed that Taiwan’s economy remained lacklustre in the second quarter. Growth is likely to remain weak in the near-term but, with the global economy set to record a slow, but... 31st July 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indian rates to be kept on prolonged hold The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its policy rates unchanged at its meeting today, as was widely expected. Recently-implemented tightening measures could be removed within the next few months, if... 30th July 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Infrastructure projects key for Thailand’s prospects Government plans in Thailand for a series of huge infrastructure projects have the potential to transform the country’s growth prospects. However, as this Weekly explains, success is by no means... 29th July 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor Glimmers of hope? Our GDP Tracker suggests that after a sharp slowdown at the start of the year, EM growth ticked up in May. Evidence of a possible turnaround is strongest in Emerging Europe, and weakest in Emerging... 26th July 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Interest rates in the Philippines to rise next year The decision by the Philippine central bank (BSP) to leave interest rates on hold today was no great surprise given that growth remains strong and inflation looks set to stay subdued. We expect... 25th July 2013 · 1 min read
