Global Markets Update Will North Korea tensions continue to weigh on US equities? The recent escalation of tensions between the US and North Korea has weighed on the S&P 500. But provided that war is avoided, we doubt that this marks the start of a sustained downturn in the index. 11th August 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What does the crisis in Korea mean for the markets? Financial markets in Korea and the rest of Emerging Asia have fallen in response to the latest increase in tensions on the Korean peninsula. However, given the scale of the risks involved, the falls... 11th August 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea: Plans to reduce inequality may cause growth to slow Since becoming president of South Korea in May, Moon Jae-in has introduced a range of measures aimed at reducing inequality and cutting youth unemployment. Moon’s policies are likely to boost growth... 4th August 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jul.) Emerging Asia’s PMIs for July suggest the region’s manufacturing sectors started Q3 on a subdued note. Focussing on the two economies where the PMIs most closely track the hard data, Taiwan’s... 1st August 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Korea GDP (Q2 Preliminary) Korea’s economy slowed a touch in Q2, but remained in decent shape. Looking ahead, we expect growth to remain fairly strong over the next year or so, helped by buoyant global demand and strong... 27th July 2017 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor EM export growth to slow, but not collapse EM export growth ticked up in May, but the big picture is that the sharp acceleration caused by the rebound in global commodity prices over the past year or so is now behind us. We don’t expect EM... 14th July 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly KORUS renegotiation could benefit Korea The announcement earlier in the week from the US government that it is formally seeking to renegotiate the Korea-US free trade pact (KORUS) is not a big threat to the Korean economy. The negotiations... 14th July 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea to leave rates unchanged for some time The Bank of Korea (BoK) left interest rates on hold today and there was little indication in the governor’s accompanying press conference that the central bank is in any hurry to adjust policy. We... 13th July 2017 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM credit bubble is now (mostly) a China story The past couple of weeks have seen renewed concerns about credit risks in emerging economies. The key point that has been missed in much of the analysis, however, is that credit bubbles have begun to... 11th July 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook How long will the recovery last? A pick-up in exports will lift growth in Emerging Asia to a five-year high in 2017, but mounting domestic headwinds means that this is unlikely to be sustained. We expect growth to slow in 201819... 6th July 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jun.) The June PMIs for Emerging Asia suggest that the region’s manufacturing sectors remained in decent health. The pick up in the PMI readings in Taiwan and Korea – the two economies where the PMIs most... 3rd July 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asian financial crisis twenty years on There are more differences than similarities between the situation now and the position many Asian countries found themselves in on the eve of the Asian financial crisis 20 years ago. But there is no... 30th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian equities continue to rally Asian equity markets have continued to rally, with stock markets in Taiwan, Korea, India and Indonesia all recently hitting new record highs. 29th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What to make of Korea’s supplementary budget? South Korea’s new government today announced plans for a supplementary budget worth 11.2trn won (0.7% of GDP). But with parliament approval by no means guaranteed, we are not raising our growth... 5th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (May) Most of Emerging Asia’s manufacturing PMIs slipped in May, but we doubt this marks the start of a significant downturn in Asian manufacturing. 1st June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian equities continue strong run Asian equity markets have outperformed other EM markets over the past month, with bourses in Korea, India, Pakistan and Indonesia all reaching record highs in May. We are revising our equity forecasts... 31st May 2017 · 1 min read