Asia Economics Update Is Singapore overheating? Singapore’s economy is showing early signs of overheating. A global downturn would have a cooling effect, but tighter macroprudential controls could be needed. 23rd April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly India trade boost for Pakistan? Ties between India and Pakistan have warmed in recent months, raising hopes of a normalisation of trade relations. While this would have the potential to boost bilateral trade, we have doubts over how... 23rd April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Asia well placed to withstand weaker global growth Asia is well placed to withstand the impact of any major shocks to the global economy. The health of economic fundamentals and policymakers’ room for stimulus should enable the region to grow by just... 19th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rates on hold in the Philippines due to inflation risks The Philippines central bank (BSP) left its main policy rate on hold today at 4.0%, as expected. However, with inflationary pressures likely to remain moderate and global growth set to disappoint this... 19th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India and Vietnam: Asia’s disappointing duo Growth has weakened significantly in both Vietnam and India over the past 12 months. In the next couple of years, neither economy looks like recapturing the impressive growth rates that were recorded... 18th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Reserve Bank of India cuts repo rate, prioritising growth The Reserve Bank of India cut its key policy rate by 50bp today in response to slower growth and a fall in underlying inflation. We suspect it will deliver a further 50bp of rate cuts by year-end as... 17th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Challenges for South Korea While the world’s eyes were fixed on the North Korean rocket launch, last week’s election in the South brought into focus some of the challenges its policymakers face, in addition to dealing with... 16th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore’s central bank likely to reverse course in October The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) unexpectedly tightened its policy stance today. The move was partly in response to Q1 GDP figures, also released today, which showed that the economy returned... 13th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia set to keep rates at record low Having cut rates by a cumulative 100bp since October, Bank Indonesia (BI) left its main policy rate on hold at a record low level for the second consecutive month today, as widely expected. Although... 12th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Vietnam cuts rates again, more policy loosening likely The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) today announced that it would be cutting interest rates by a further 100bp on Wednesday. The cut in interest rates, the second in as many months, comes amid recent... 10th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia’s costly fuel subsidies to remain in place The recent increase in oil prices is putting the budgets of countries that operate fuel subsidy regimes under strain. Nevertheless, any meaningful reform of subsidy programmes across Asia looks... 9th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Burma - Asian tiger or basket case? After decades as an international pariah, Burma is catching the eye of investors. Recent market-friendly reforms, an abundance of natural resources, and proximity to China and India are some of the... 9th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Policy paralysis to continue in India Events over the past year have taken the shine off India’s economy as the growth rate has slowed, reform efforts have been blocked and slow and opaque decision-making has undermined investor... 4th April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Focus How would a hard landing in China affect Australia? In the event of a hard landing in China, Australia would suffer a sharp fall in exports to its biggest trading partner. Global commodity prices would tumble given China’s importance for commodity... 3rd April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update March PMIs point to continued manufacturing recovery March PMIs for Asia suggested that a pick-up in trade is giving a boost to the region’s manufacturers. However, problems in the euro zone mean that the improvement could be short-lived. 3rd April 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Indonesia - losing its shine? Indonesia’s stock market and currency have been among the worst performing assets in Asia so far this year. The poor performance reflects worries over proposed cuts to fuel subsidies, which will... 2nd April 2012 · 1 min read
