Emerging Markets Economics Update War in Ukraine raises EM inflation risks The rise in commodity prices caused by the war in Ukraine will push up EM inflation and there are further upside risks from weakening currencies and potential supply chain disruptions. In terms of the... 3rd March 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Focus Presidential election a watershed moment for Korea Korea’s presidential election on 9 th March will have major implications for the country’s economic future. A pledge by the ruling DPK’s candidate to introduce a universal basic income could bring... 3rd March 2022 · 15 mins read
Asia Economics Update Rate hikes in Malaysia this year remain unlikely Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) today left its main policy rate on hold and the dovish tone of its statement supports our non-consensus view that rates will remain on hold throughout 2022. We think the... 3rd March 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs, Korea Trade (Feb.) February Manufacturing PMIs and Korean trade data show that regional industry had another strong month. This should offset some of the Omicron-related weakness in service sectors this quarter. 1st March 2022 · 2 mins read
Asia Chart Pack How will central banks respond to rising oil prices? The recent jump in oil prices poses a significant upside risk to our inflation and interest rate forecasts for this year. Central banks would normally “look through” a one-off jump in the price level... 28th February 2022 · 14 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Oil prices and inflation, zero-COVID holdouts The main channel through which Asia will be affected by the crisis in Ukraine is higher oil prices. We are sticking with our non-consensus view that most countries in Asia will leave interest rates on... 25th February 2022 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea: a very hawkish hold A large upwards revision to the Bank of Korea’s (BoK) inflation forecast as it left rates on hold today signals that more tightening is just around the corner. We still expect three more 25bp hikes in... 24th February 2022 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor Omicron risks fading, but headwinds remain Large Omicron waves have caused activity to weaken in many EMs in Q1, but the good news is that mobility appears to bounce back quickly once outbreaks subside. As a result, the economic hit is likely... 22nd February 2022 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Taiwan export orders unlikely to keep rising rapidly Taiwan new export orders picked up for a third straight month in January. While we expect this trend to go into reverse soon, a large backlog of unmet orders will keep the region’s exporters busy... 21st February 2022 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Thailand GDP (Q4) After a strong rebound in Q4, the pace of Thailand’s economic recovery over the coming year will largely depend on how quickly tourists return. While we expect a sustained recovery in the tourism... 21st February 2022 · 3 mins read
EM Markets Chart Pack The upside looks limited for Russia’s stock market The threat of sanctions has weighed on Russia’s stock market recently, but even if tensions abated we wouldn’t expect it to make big gains over the next couple of years. 18th February 2022 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Update Singapore: ageing population prompts tax hikes The centrepiece of Singapore’s budget today was confirmation that the Goods and Service Tax will rise next year and again in 2024. The hike is intended to help pay for an increase in healthcare... 18th February 2022 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Revisiting EM FX debt risks With FX debt burdens relatively low in most major EMs, the risk of debt crises triggered by rising US interest rates and a stronger dollar looks limited. Vulnerabilities are generally limited to... 18th February 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Ukraine adds to inflation risks, SE Asia reopening The recent rise in oil prices poses a key upside risk to our inflation forecasts. We already expect rate hikes this year in Korea, India and Indonesia. We think Taiwan, where price pressures have... 18th February 2022 · 8 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Three points on the EM tightening cycle After a series of aggressive interest rate hikes, tightening cycles in parts of Emerging Europe and Latin America may now be nearing an end. But inflation concerns mean that policy rates will remain... 17th February 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Philippines: no rate hikes this year The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) left its main policy rate unchanged at 2.0% today and we expect rates to be left on hold throughout 2022. In contrast, the consensus is expecting 50bps of... 17th February 2022 · 2 mins read
