Asia Economics Update More rate hikes on the way in the Philippines The Philippines’ central bank (BSP) raised its key policy rate by 25bp to 4.25% today, as expected. Rising food and fuel prices suggest that inflation will continue to accelerate in coming months and... 24th March 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Set for above-trend growth GDP growth across Emerging Asia has slowed, but is likely to pick up again soon. Domestic demand, trade between the emerging markets, as well as policy flexibility, will cushion the downside... 22nd February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rate hikes in the Philippines only a matter of time The Philippines’ central bank (BSP) kept its policy rate unchanged at 4.0% today, as expected. We are sticking with our long-held view that rates need to move up this year to ensure that inflation... 10th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines set for another strong year in 2011 Q4 GDP in the Philippines, published today, was up in q/q terms, after dropping in Q3. Household spending and private investment should be strong in coming quarters. An increase in the central bank... 31st January 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Asia's slowdown to bottom soon (Q4 10) The post-recession rebound in most of Latin America is showing signs of slowing but growth is likely to remain fairly strong over the coming quarters. We still expect the region to expand by around 4... 1st December 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines still set for above-trend growth in 2011 Q3 GDP in the Philippines, published today, was down in q/q terms. We were the only one of those surveyed by Bloomberg to forecast that there would be a contraction, but we remain positive on the... 25th November 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines' tightening cycle to begin soon The Philippines’ central bank (BSP) kept its key policy rate unchanged at 4.0% today, as expected. The strong peso is doing some of the heavy-lifting for the BSP, but rates will probably need to move... 18th November 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippines' upgrade as good as it gets for a long time S&P on Friday lifted the Philippines’ sovereign foreign currency debt rating from BB- to BB. The move reflects the strong balance of payments, the implementation of new reforms which will lift trend... 15th November 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines' debt rating upgrade looks close All of the three major ratings agencies have recently announced that the Philippines’ sovereign foreign debt is under review for possible upgrade. We expect that at least one of the three will upgrade... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines is in no rush to lift policy rates As expected, the Philippines’ central bank (BSP) kept its key policy rate on hold at 4.0% today. The upswing will probably stay strong while inflation risks will climb next year. But currency... 7th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Asia is re-balancing and will continue to lead (Q3 10) The global upswing is now regaining some traction and the threat of renewed financial crisis has diminished. However, the world recovery will stay weak and vulnerable to other risks such as deflation... 23rd September 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Strong growth in the Philippines to bring rate hikes soon Q2 GDP in the Philippines came in stronger than even our above-consensus forecast. Domestic demand will probably stay strong and should offset the fading support from foreign conditions and inventory... 26th August 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines’ fiscal position is poor but not disastrous Bad news on the budget deficit has trickled through in recent weeks and there is scepticism about the Philippine government’s ability to limit the shortfall to its new (upwardly-revised) target for... 26th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Philippine rates to stay on hold for a while The Philippines’ central bank (BSP) kept policy rates on hold at 4.0% today. This was expected by the consensus although we had thought there might be a hike. The economic upswing should stay on track... 15th July 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines upswing remains in good shape Data published over the last few days have been mixed but the Philippines economic recovery still probably stayed strong in Q2. Fiscal consolidation can proceed slowly and the expansion will almost... 17th June 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines looks set to tighten in Q3 The Philippines’ central bank (BSP) left the reverse repo rate unchanged at 4.0% today, as expected. The economic upswing should hold strong in coming months while the policy rate looks set to remain... 3rd June 2010 · 1 min read
