Asia Chart Pack Time to worry about a weak rupiah? The Indonesian rupiah has fallen again over the past week, hitting a fresh 17-year low against the US dollar. The sharp drop in the currency, which is down by a cumulative 33% since the start of 2013... 23rd September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Signs of improvement in Indonesia After a disappointing first ten months to Joko Widodo’s presidency, there are encouraging signs that policymaking in Indonesia is finally starting to improve. However, we will need to see further... 18th September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia rate cut likely by end of the year With the Fed possibly poised to hike interest rates later in the day, Bank Indonesia’s (BI) decision to keep its key policy rate on hold at 7.5% was no great surprise. Going forward, with inflation... 17th September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Why have exports been so weak? The slump in commodity prices accounts for most of the decline in Asian exports this year, even in countries which are not major commodity exporters. 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Is Bank Indonesia too soft on inflation? Bank Indonesia’s poor record in meeting its inflation target has led to claims that it is being too soft on inflation. We believe such claims are wrong, and continue to think inflation will drop back... 1st September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian markets bear brunt of China-led sell-off Asian financial markets have been at the centre of the recent financial market turmoil that was triggered by fears about the health of the Chinese economy. The sell-off has raised concerns that a... 31st August 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Foreigners head for the exits The financial turmoil of the past month in Asia has seen foreign investors scramble for the exit. Net foreign outflows from the region’s equity markets have reached nearly US$10bn so far in August... 27th August 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Indonesia GDP (Q2) Indonesia's economy recorded another quarter of weak growth in Q2, again showing the negative effects of lower commodity prices. If, as we expect, there is no improvement in the second half of the... 5th August 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian currencies caught up in EM sell-off Asian currencies have been caught up in a general sell-off of EM assets this month, as interest rate hikes in the US have started to loom. Some currencies are now at or close to multi-year lows. That... 30th July 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Bigger risks to growth in Malaysia than 1MDB scandal The controversy surrounding the state investment company, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), has intensified in recent days after Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been accused of taking money from... 29th July 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Credit slowdown to weigh on Asian growth After a poor start to 2015, we expect growth in Emerging Asia to pick up in the second half of the year as the benefits of lower oil prices and loose monetary policy filter through to the domestic... 16th July 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia to cut rates before the end of the year With inflation still well above target, today’s decision by Bank Indonesia (BI) to leave its main policy rate on hold at 7.50% was no great surprise. While we think rates will stay on hold in the... 14th July 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jun.) Most of Emerging Asia's PMIs for Emerging Asia fell back in June, suggesting the region's manufacturing sectors remain in the doldrums. In the two economies where the PMIs most closely track the hard... 1st July 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian markets remain calm about "Grexit" threat Although most Asian equities markets and currencies weakened in June, reflectingrising expectations that the US Fed will soon start to raise interest rates and thegrowing risk of Greece exiting the... 30th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Risk of “Grexit” hangs over Asia’s export outlook The direct links between Emerging Asia and Greece are very limited. Exports to Greece account for only a tiny proportion of regional GDP, while banking sector ties are negligible. What matters more... 30th June 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Indonesia heading in the wrong direction Recent measures to boost growth in Indonesia have failed to address the main structural factors that are holding the economy back. Unless the government changes its approach, we see little prospect of... 19th June 2015 · 1 min read