Asia Economics Weekly South East Asia disruption eases, Sri Lanka in peril Recent data from Malaysia and Vietnam suggest that virus-related disruption is continuing to ease. This should help alleviate some of the supply constraints currently holding back growth elsewhere in... 12th November 2021 · 8 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Food prices a key factor behind diverging EM inflation A significant share of the difference in headline inflation between Emerging Asia and other emerging regions has been driven by food inflation, which appears to be related to domestic conditions more... 12th November 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Malaysia GDP (Q3) Malaysia’s economy shrank further in Q3 but was already rebounding sharply by the end of the quarter. with vaccinations high, virus cases down and restrictions being eased, this rebound will continue... 12th November 2021 · 3 mins read
Frontier Markets Wrap Where are frontier sovereign debt risks greatest? The precipitous decline in Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves means the risk of a near-term sovereign debt default is increasing. Elsewhere, Tunisia also stands out on account of its public debt... 11th November 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Thailand in no rush to tighten The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left interest rates on hold today at 0.5%, and the poor outlook for the economy means rates are likely to remain low for some considerable time. 10th November 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Philippines GDP (Q3) Q3 GDP data were much stronger than expected and output is set to jump again in the fourth quarter following a sharp drop in virus cases and the further easing of restrictions. That said, even after... 9th November 2021 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Five points on the latest virus developments in EMs The COVID-19 situation in many EMs has improved markedly over the past month or so as new infections have fallen sharply and vaccine rollouts have gathered pace. That said, the recent surge in virus... 5th November 2021 · 4 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly The end of king coal, Korea inflation worries If the ambitious targets laid down by the 2015 Paris Agreement are to be met, then global coal consumption will need to fall sharply and eventually be eliminated. This poses a huge challenge for many... 5th November 2021 · 7 mins read
Asia Data Response Indonesia GDP (Q3) Indonesia’s economy only shrank slightly last quarter as exports offset much of the hit from a huge outbreak of COVID-19, and with restrictions being relaxed and virus cases now very low, we expect... 5th November 2021 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Fiscal risks loom largest in Lat Am & S. Africa Among the major EMs, long-term fiscal problems look most challenging in South Africa and several large Latin American economies. And rising interest rates will make the fiscal squeeze needed to... 3rd November 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: rates on hold throughout 2022 Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) left its main policy rate unchanged at 1.75% today, and with inflation set to remain subdued, rates are likely to stay on hold at their current all-time low throughout next... 3rd November 2021 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Supply disruptions weigh on EM industry October’s PMIs suggest that manufacturing sectors in Southeast Asia are recovering from recent Covid waves, but supply constraints are taking their toll on industry in China, Brazil and parts of... 2nd November 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Will Asian exporters continue to defy gravity? Asian exports have continued to grow rapidly despite the recent disruption stemming from lockdowns in South East Asia. A huge backlog of orders and low inventory levels in advanced economies mean that... 2nd November 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Korea Trade (Oct.) After another strong month in October, Korean export values are set to remain elevated as high demand for electronics and petroleum products offsets troubles in the auto sector. 1st November 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Oct.) While October Manufacturing PMIs point to a strong rise in manufacturing output, industry is likely to be working through huge backlogs of orders for many months to come and resulting supply shortages... 1st November 2021 · 2 mins read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor Recent shifts in EM trade balances likely to reverse The big increases in EM commodity producers’ trade balances this year are likely to go into reverse if, as we expect, the prices of energy and metals fall back. At the same time, the manufacturing... 29th October 2021 · 2 mins read