Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Government only offers Christmas crumbs The Coalition Government indicated in today’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook that it will present some sweeteners ahead of the upcoming election. Even so, fiscal policy will become more... 17th December 2018 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Trade deficit to narrow further India’s merchandise trade deficit narrowed a touch in November and, with oil prices likely to stay lower, we think that the deficit will shrink further over the coming months. 17th December 2018 · 1 min read
India Data Response Wholesale Prices (Nov.) Headline wholesale price inflation eased in November and, taken alongside the drop in CPI inflation last month as well as the appointment of an ally of Prime Minister Modi as the new governor of the... 14th December 2018 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Fiscal outlook improving, housing outlook bleak The rapid improvement in the budget deficit will allow the government to use the upcoming Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook to deliver some early Christmas presents. But the Treasurer will probably... 14th December 2018 · 1 min read
China Data Response Activity & Spending (Nov.) Investment and consumption both appear to have cooled last month, with softer foreign demand also weighing on industrial production. We think further weakness is on the horizon. 14th December 2018 · 1 min read
India Economics Weekly BJP losses and new RBI governor raise policy risk The state election results announced this week were a clear setback for Prime Minister Modi’s BJP, as they suggest that goodwill is fading ahead of next year’s general election. While we still think... 14th December 2018 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Tankan (Q4) The Q4 Tankan survey was better than most had anticipated and adds to the evidence that the economy has turned the corner. Meanwhile, firms are reporting mounting difficulties finding staff which... 14th December 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippines central bank: next move to be a cut The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) left interest rates unchanged today, but with inflation set to fall back sharply over the coming months and policymakers sounding increasingly dovish on the... 13th December 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Are risks brewing in Korea’s housing market? A surge in lending to the property sector and booming prices in the capital, Seoul, are unlikely to cause serious problems for Korea’s economy. 12th December 2018 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Focus Record housing downturns in Sydney and Melbourne We estimate that house prices in Sydney will eventually decline by 20% from their peak and by 17% in Melbourne. This would make the downturn in each city the largest in modern history. The slowdown in... 12th December 2018 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Machinery Orders (Oct.) The rise in machinery orders in October was weaker than anticipated, but orders still point to rising business investment in Q4. That suggests that the slump in Q3 GDP will be reversed in the fourth... 12th December 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand: election will not improve long-run outlook Even if a general election that has now been confirmed for 24th February passes smoothly, political uncertainty is likely to remain a drag on Thailand’s prospects. 11th December 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Tariff Man or dealmaker? The arrest of Huawei’s CFO and recent Trump tweets boasting that he is “Tariff Man” have sparked concerns about the durability of the US-China trade truce. But there are still some grounds for... 7th December 2018 · 1 min read
India Economics Weekly RBI confusion, Rajasthan election Some have interpreted the small cuts to the statutory liquidity ratio announced by the RBI this week as evidence that the central bank is loosening policy, but we disagree. Meanwhile, the state... 7th December 2018 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly RBA not ready to cut The financial markets are now pricing in a small chance of a rate cut by the RBA next year following the release of weak GDP data this week. But while we expect GDP growth to slow further next year... 7th December 2018 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Labour Cash Earnings (Oct.) The continued strength in base pay casts doubt on the Bank of Japan’s view that sampling distortions have overstated wage growth in recent months. And if the unemployment rate falls towards 2.0% over... 7th December 2018 · 1 min read
