Emerging Markets Activity Monitor EM recovery holding up pre-Omicron The latest activity figures suggest that the EM recovery held up reasonably well at the end of last year, although China’s economy was struggling for momentum. While Omicron virus waves are likely to... 27th January 2022 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Taiwan GDP (Q4, provisional) GDP growth in Taiwan rebounded last quarter on the back of a recovery in consumer spending, and we estimate the economy ended the year around 4% above its pre-virus trend. Growth is set to slow over... 27th January 2022 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Philippines GDP (Q4) While an Omicron wave means the economy’s continued strong performance in Q4 is unlikely to be repeated this quarter, we think growth will pick up again before long. That said, the overall recovery... 27th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economic Outlook Central banks in no hurry to tighten Omicron should prove no more than a small stumbling block for Asia. Our forecasts are for above-trend and above-consensus growth in most countries this year. India, Indonesia and Korea are likely to... 25th January 2022 · 34 mins read
Asia Economics Update Surprise move by the MAS likely not its last in 2022 The Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) surprise move to tighten policy today, ahead of its usual April meeting, probably won’t be its last. We think the added uplift to inflation from a domestic... 25th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Korea GDP (Q4, provisional) While Omicron means that the strong GDP growth recorded in Q4 2021 is unlikely to be repeated this quarter, the recovery should be back on track before long. With the economic outlook still upbeat... 25th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Pakistan: a pause to the tightening cycle The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) left interest rates on hold today at 9.75% and indicated that further modest tightening is likely later in the year. We think the central bank will take a breather... 24th January 2022 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Thai tourism boost, new oil price forecasts Better times lie head for Thailand’s tourism industry after the government this week announced it would resume its quarantine-free travel scheme from 1 st February. A recovery in tourism will not only... 21st January 2022 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia: hiking cycle to be gradual Bank Indonesia left interest rates unchanged at 3.5% at its meeting today, but the decision to raise the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) from March suggests that rate hikes will come sooner than we... 20th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Markets mispricing the chance of rate hikes in Malaysia The dovish tone of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) as it left rates on hold today only strengthens our non-consensus view that policy will be left on hold this year to support the recovery. In contrast... 20th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s hike is too little too late The 50bp rate hike made by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) today – after it stood pat for two meetings as foreign currency dried up and inflation soared – is likely to prove too little too late... 20th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Emerging Markets Capital Flows Monitor With the notable exception of Turkey, net capital outflows from emerging markets have eased over the past month. However, the global backdrop for EMs this year will be challenging, particularly for... 19th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Current account risks building in Em. Europe & Lat Am The shift to current account surpluses in Indonesia and South Africa suggest that these economies may be better placed to weather any fallout from rising US interest rates than in the past. But... 18th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack Omicron sweeps across the emerging world The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is causing new virus cases to surge in the emerging world. Many EMs are reporting record daily cases or that new infections are rising sharply. South Africa’s... 14th January 2022 · 10 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Korean labour market not as healthy as it looks At face value, the Korean labour market figures for December paint an encouraging picture, with total employment rising to a new record high. However, a detailed examination of data reveals just how... 14th January 2022 · 9 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea turning even more hawkish The Bank of Korea (BoK) is far from done, after making its first back-to-back rate hike since 2007 today. We now expect a total of four 25bp hikes in 2022, taking the policy rate to 2.00%. 14th January 2022 · 3 mins read
