Japan Economics Update Bank of Japan Meeting (Jan.) Economic growth is set to slow after October’s sales tax hike while inflation will remain well below the Bank of Japan’s 2% target. But with high hurdles to additional policy easing, we think that the... 23rd January 2019 · 1 min read
India Chart Pack Government attempts to woo SMEs Election giveaways in India have been ramped up significantly this month, with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the main beneficiaries. Firms with annual sales of less than INR0.4m are now... 23rd January 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update New Zealand - Activity proxy still points to a softening in growth Our New Zealand Activity Proxy (NZAP) suggests economic activity remains soft and that the slowing in GDP growth has further to run. That supports our view that GDP growth will weaken from 2.8% in... 23rd January 2019 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response External Trade (Dec.) The slump in export volumes in December probably overstated the weakness in external demand. Even so, we expect export growth to slow this year. 23rd January 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Focus This time won’t be different We believe that the downturn in Australia’s housing market will become by far the deepest and longest on record. By curbing dwellings investment, consumption and bank lending, we think it will result... 22nd January 2019 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Korea GDP (Q4) Economic growth in Korea was surprisingly strong last quarter, but with both domestic and external headwinds to growth likely to mount this year, we doubt this strength will last. 22nd January 2019 · 1 min read
China Data Response GDP (Q4), Activity & Spending (Dec.) Growth edged down last quarter, with the slowdown on the official GDP figures corroborated by other data. Conditions improved somewhat in December, but we expect the uptick in industrial output and... 21st January 2019 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Consumer Prices (Dec.) The sharp fall in inflation in December in part reflects temporary factors that will reverse soon. But the bigger picture is that underlying price pressures will remain weak for the foreseeable future... 18th January 2019 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia: monetary policy outlook depends on rupiah Bank Indonesia (BI) today left its policy rate unchanged for a second consecutive meeting, while there was nothing in the central bank’s statement to suggest that further rate hikes are imminent... 17th January 2019 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Trade deficit to remain in check India’s merchandise trade deficit narrowed to a 10-month low in December and, with oil prices likely to fall further, we think the shortfall will shrink a little more over the coming months. In turn... 16th January 2019 · 1 min read
India Data Response Wholesale Prices (Dec.) Headline wholesale price inflation eased in December, further undermining the case for any further rate hikes in the near term. But the appointment of a dovish new governor of the RBI means we are... 14th January 2019 · 1 min read
India Economics Weekly RBI coughs up a little cash, Sensex forecasts A report this week that the RBI will transfer an “interim” dividend to the government has been wrongly linked by some to the government’s efforts to get the central bank to hand over more of its cash... 11th January 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Oil, housing and the labour market While the recent falls in oil prices may boost consumer spending, they render investment in new LNG projects less attractive and may therefore restrain mining investment. Meanwhile, the slump in... 11th January 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Retail Sales (Nov.) While the solid rise in retail sales values in November suggests that households are still coping well with falling house prices and sluggish incomes gains, we think that consumption growth will slow... 11th January 2019 · 1 min read
China Data Response Consumer & Producer Prices (Dec.) Following the drop back in oil prices, consumer price inflation returned below 2% last month. Meanwhile, producer prices are now on the brink of returning to deflation territory. Slowing inflation is... 10th January 2019 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update A guide to elections in 2019 In this Update we take a look at the important elections that are set to take place across Emerging Asia over the coming year, assessing the implications for policymaking and economic growth. 7th January 2019 · 1 min read
