Asia Economic Outlook Policy stimulus to support growth in Asia The ongoing debt crisis in the euro-zone is likely to weigh on growth in Asia in 2012-13. Although the region’s most open economies are set to slow quite sharply, we forecast that growth in the region... 12th January 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Inflation risks are a concern in Indonesia Bank Indonesia (BI), kept its reference rate on hold today, as expected, after cutting rates by a cumulative 75bp in the final quarter of 2011. Despite the likelihood that inflation will accelerate... 12th January 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Elections in Asia - what they mean for the region A number of important elections and leadership changes are due to take place across emerging Asia over the next 12 months. The outcomes will have implications for economic policymaking and growth... 9th January 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia PMIs paint mixed picture December PMIs for Asia paint a mixed picture. The surveys suggest manufacturing output returned to growth in Australia, while in contrast to the weakness of recent data, factory output rebounded... 4th January 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly How bad is the outlook for Indian growth? India’s economy has slowed abruptly in the past few months and now faces a downturn comparable to that of 2008-09. However, a big difference is that the authorities now have much less scope for policy... 26th December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Strong growth to continue in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka’s GDP grew strongly in the third quarter of 2011, following a rapid expansion in all of the main sectors of the economy. Rapid growth reduces the immediate urgency for interest rate cuts... 21st December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Kim Jong-il's death adds to Korean uncertainty Given the lack of transparency in North Korea, it would be unwise to leap to any conclusions following news of Kim Jong-il’s death. Our best guess is that the uncomfortable status quo will continue... 19th December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Indonesia's upgrade highlights improved outlook In a good week for Indonesia, Fitch upgraded the country’s long-term sovereign debt rating to investment grade on Thursday and parliament passed a long-awaited land acquisition bill on Friday. Both... 19th December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India prepares ground for rate cuts as economy slows Although it left its repo rate unchanged at today’s meeting, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signalled that it is preparing the ground to loosen policy earlier than previously expected. We now think... 16th December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Exports weaken amid global slowdown Exports from the region have been weak due to lower demand from the West. However, domestic demand has so far remained fairly resilient across the region. Central banks in Australia and Thailand have... 15th December 2011 · 1 min read
China Economics Update How vulnerable is Asia to a euro-zone banking crisis? The impact on emerging Asia of a fall in lending by euro-zone banks to the region would be small. However, Asia would be vulnerable if the crisis in the euro-zone caused global credit markets to... 15th December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update NPLs are likely to rise sharply in Vietnam The government in Vietnam has moved to restructure some of the country’s banks. This comes after a surge in lending in recent years, which has contributed to a rise in bad debt. The non-performing... 13th December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Will the Philippines continue to disappoint? The main cause of its weak performance has been low investment. Demographic factors should push the savings rate higher over the next decade, which should in turn support stronger investment and... 12th December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea and New Zealand central banks too sanguine The government in Vietnam has moved to restructure some of the country’s banks. This comes after a surge in lending in recent years, which has contributed to a rise in bad debt. The non-performing... 8th December 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Interest rates in Indonesia to come down further next year After cutting interest rates by a cumulative 75bp at its last two meetings, Bank Indonesia (BI) kept its key reference rate on hold today, as expected. However, with inflation continuing to fall and... 8th December 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Emerging Economies: Five key calls for 2012 We broadly agree with the consensus view that most emerging economies will hold up well in 2012. But with the US set to slow and the euro-zone heading towards break-up, the path ahead is going to be... 7th December 2011 · 1 min read