China Rapid Response Bank Lending & Broad Credit (Nov.) Broad credit growth continued to rise in November thanks to a pick-up in government bond issuance, but it still came in below expectations. We think further policy support is on the way, but this is... 13th December 2023 · 3 mins read
Global Markets Outlook Bond rally may have a bit further to run We think the rally in developed market government bonds will continue for a while yet, as some major central banks, including the Fed, ultimately cut by more than investors seem to expect. But we... 11th December 2023 · 14 mins read
Asia Economics Update The implications of rising Philippines-China tensions Tensions between the Philippines and China have once again flared up in the South China Seas. However, the fact that the Philippines is not closely integrated into China’s economy means the economic... 11th December 2023 · 3 mins read
China Rapid Response Consumer & Producer Prices (Nov.) CPI fell deeper into deflationary territory last month. The main culprit continues to be food and energy prices – the rate of core inflation held steady and remains positive. Services inflation, the... 11th December 2023 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Falling fertility rates in Korea; BSP on hold The fertility rate in Korea fell to a record low of just 0.7 births per woman in the third quarter of this year – the lowest in the world. The country’s dreadful demographic outlook is the key reason... 8th December 2023 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly Debt woes widely known but far from priced in Moody’s downgrade to China’s rating outlook received a muted response in markets. That’s partly because the country’s economic challenges are already widely known. But the bigger picture is that... 8th December 2023 · 7 mins read
Asia Economic Outlook Policy easing coming sooner than most expect Economic growth in most of Emerging Asia is likely to slow in the near term as weak global demand and high interest rates weigh on prospects. With growth set to struggle and inflation likely to ease... 7th December 2023 · 32 mins read
China Rapid Response Merchandise Trade (Nov.) China’s export values rose year-on-year for the first time since May while the level of export volumes hit a fresh high, supported by exporters reducing prices. We doubt this robustness will persist... 7th December 2023 · 2 mins read
China Economic Outlook Stronger start, weaker end to 2024 China’s economy has regained some strength recently. We expect this to continue into 2024, on the back of support from fiscal policy and a further pick-up in household spending. But with property... 6th December 2023 · 18 mins read
China Economics Weekly Fiscal boost, renminbi turnaround Government bond issuance has picked up recently but a sizeable chunk of the proceeds have yet to be spent. Local officials will be under pressure to deploy these funds as soon as possible, which could... 1st December 2023 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Weak data from Korea; Indonesia and Pakistan elections This week’s data dump from Korea suggests the economy weakened at the start of Q4, supporting our view that the tightening cycle is over and that interest rate cuts could come onto the agenda soon. 1st December 2023 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Update Manufacturing PMIs & Korean trade(November) The November PMIs for Emerging Asia generally nudged up a touch but remained weak overall. The outlook for manufacturing sector in the region remains bleak in the near term as elevated inventory... 1st December 2023 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Korea: rate cuts likely in mid-2024 The Bank of Korea (BoK) today left its policy rate unchanged (at 3.5%) for a seventh consecutive meeting, and hinted that interest rates would remain elevated as it continues to clamp down on... 30th November 2023 · 3 mins read
China Rapid Response PMIs (Nov.) Taken at face value, the PMIs suggest that the economy made some headway in November. However, they still point to a marked slowdown in recent months. That may not be the case in practice – the hard... 30th November 2023 · 4 mins read