Asia Economics Update Korea’s political crisis approaching crucial phase Korea’s political crisis is approaching a key phase as the Constitutional Court prepares to rule on whether to officially impeach President Park Geun-hye. Park’s formal impeachment would increase the... 7th March 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Spike in inflation nothing to worry about The sharp rise in headline inflation across Emerging Asia is unlikely to be the trigger for the region’s central banks to start tightening monetary policy. The increase is almost entirely due to an... 3rd March 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea holds rates, but easing cycle not over The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its policy rate unchanged at 1.25% today, but with the economy struggling for momentum and underlying price pressures benign, we think it will resume its easing cycle... 23rd February 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Can Korea’s exports offset domestic demand weakness? The sharp turnaround in Korea’s headline export growth in recent months owes more to a rebound in commodity price inflation than a recovery in underlying demand. Looking ahead, a combination of... 17th February 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jan.) Emerging Asia’s PMIs for January suggest the region’s manufacturing sectors started 2017 on a lacklustre note. Focusing on the two economies where the PMIs most closely track the hard data, Taiwan’s... 2nd February 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian financial markets make good start to 2017 Asian currencies have rebounded against the US dollar over the past month, with the Korean won leading the way. For the most part, the recent gains reflect a weak dollar, which has fallen in value... 31st January 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Thailand’s current account surplus is a sign of weakness Large current account surpluses are sometimes a sign of economic strength. In the case of Thailand, however, where the surplus is over 10% of GDP, it is a symptom of a deeply depressed economy. 27th January 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Korea GDP (Q4 Preliminary) Korea’s economy ended 2016 on a soft note, and we expect growth will slow further in the quarters ahead against a backdrop of mounting external and domestic headwinds. 24th January 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update How big a blow is the demise of the TPP to Asia? The demise of the TPP represents a major blow to some countries in Emerging Asia, most notably Vietnam. The benefits of any China-led regional trade deal are likely to be much smaller. 24th January 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Vietnam complacent over credit risks Policymakers in Vietnam are becoming increasingly complacent of the risks posed by the rapid build-up in debt, as reflected by the government’s recent announcement that it was targeting credit growth... 17th January 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea holds rates, but easing in 2017 likely The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its policy rate unchanged at 1.25% today, but with growth likely to slow further and inflation benign, we expect a rate cut later this year. 13th January 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Steady growth ahead Most countries in Emerging Asia should continue to grow at a decent pace over the next couple of years as loose monetary policy helps support demand. The key exception is China, where growth looks set... 13th January 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Dec.) Emerging Asia’s PMIs were a mixed bag in December. Focusing on the two economies where the PMIs most closely track the hard data, the recovery in Taiwan’s manufacturing sector appears to have... 3rd January 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea holds rates, but cut in 2017 likely The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its policy rate unchanged at 1.25% today, but with the growth outlook deteriorating and inflation benign, we expect a rate cut in 2017. 15th December 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Malaysia moves to stabilise the ringgit The Malaysian central bank (BNM) has introduced a range of measures to stabilise the ringgit, which has been the region’s worst performing currency over the past month. The most significant step it... 14th December 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea’s president on the way out, but crisis to persist It now appears only a matter of time until President Park Geun-hye is forced out of office. But even once she is gone, it will be a while before the political situation returns to anything like normal... 6th December 2016 · 1 min read
