Asia Economics Update Korea to keep rates unchanged for some time yet The Bank of Korea (BoK) left interest rates on hold today and the governor’s accompanying press conference makes clear the central bank is in little hurry to adjust rates anytime soon. We continue to... 25th May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Focus Assessing the impact of a war in Korea The most important impact of a full-scale conflict on the Korean peninsula would be a massive loss of life. But there would also be significant economic consequences. In this Focus we discuss the... 17th May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What does Moon’s victory mean for South Korea? The election of Moon Jae-in as South Korea’s next president is unlikely to have a major impact on the country’s economic outlook. Moon’s Democratic Party not only lacks a majority in parliament, but... 9th May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Focus Will Korea’s election put the economy on a new path? In addition to the growing geopolitical crisis on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s next president, who will be elected on 9 th May, will face a mounting number of economic challenges, including... 4th May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Apr.) The April PMIs for Emerging Asia suggest that the region’s manufacturing recovery remained intact. Focusing on the two economies where the PMIs most closely track the hard data, Taiwan’s manufacturing... 2nd May 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Korea GDP (Q1 Preliminary) Korea’s economy began 2017 on a strong note, and while we expect growth to hold up reasonably well in the near term, we doubt the Q1 outturn marks the start of a sustained recovery. 27th April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack KORUS renegotiation on the cards Confirmation that the US is seeking to renegotiate but not scrap the Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS) is the latest sign that President Trump’s bark, at least when it comes to trade, is turning... 19th April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea holds rates, prolonged pause likely The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its policy rate unchanged at 1.25% today, and with the economy starting to show signs of improvement and underlying price pressures benign, we think the BoK will maintain... 13th April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update How big are the economic risks from the crisis in North Korea? There remains huge uncertainty as to how the growing crisis in North Korea will play out. Although war is likely to remain a last resort, the risk of some kind of military action is clearly growing... 12th April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Stronger exports to boost growth in 2017 Buoyant global demand should help to support growth across most of Emerging Asia over the coming quarters, but mounting domestic headwinds mean a strong rebound is not on the cards. Although the... 11th April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asian consumers facing growing headwinds Consumer spending has grown at a steady if unspectacular pace across Emerging Asia over the past few years, comfortably outperforming other EM regions. Spending in the region should continue to grow... 7th April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Mar.) Most of Emerging Asia’s PMIs ticked up in March. But the woes of the manufacturing sector in Korea, one of the economies where the PMIs most closely track the hard data, are not over. 3rd April 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack South Korea elections: key names to watch Political campaigning in South Korea ahead of presidential elections due on 9th May is now well underway. Given the extent of public anger against ousted former president Park Geun-hye and her ruling... 21st March 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Will the Korea-US free-trade agreement survive Trump? The risk that the US may seek to renegotiate or even pull out from the Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS) is a big concern for Korean exporters. However, there are reasons to think the US may... 17th March 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia will not follow the Fed’s lead For most economies in Emerging Asia it will be local factors, not the actions of the US Federal Reserve, which will determine the next moves by the region’s central banks. 16th March 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update China’s retaliation to THAAD adds to economic risks in Korea Chinese retaliation over South Korea’s plans to deploy a US anti-missile defence system (THAAD) is an added concern for Korea’s already struggling economy. While the overall impact could be quite... 9th March 2017 · 1 min read
