Asia Economic Outlook Steady, if unspectacular, growth ahead Most economies in Emerging Asia are likely to see growth accelerate gradually over the next year, helped by a combination of stronger demand from advanced economies and relatively loose monetary... 8th October 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Aussie and Kiwi dollars lead Asia’s currency sell-off Asia’s financial markets performed poorly in September, largely reflecting concerns about the outlook for US monetary policy. The New Zealand and Australian dollars were the worst performers, but... 30th September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack What is behind the recent currency weakness? Sizeable falls in a number of Asian currencies against the US dollar over the past month have rekindled unwelcome memories of last summer’s “Taper Tantrum”. As was the case during last year’s sell-off... 23rd September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea set to raise rates next year Interest rates in Korea, which were left on hold today, are likely to rise from next year as economic growth picks up. However, with inflation likely to remain fairly subdued, the pace of tightening... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Property price bubbles a key risk There are signs property prices are coming off the boil in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. That said, prices in these three economies still look significantly overvalued, and a slump in prices... 5th September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian financial markets higher, but political risks weigh on Pakistan Most of Asia’s stock markets and currencies strengthened in August. The key exception is Pakistan, where political uncertainty has returned to the fore. 28th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Emerging Asia has less to fear from Fed tightening The trend over the past year in most of Emerging Asia has been towards bigger current account surpluses or smaller deficits. This should make their currencies less vulnerable to any negative shifts in... 21st August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Further rate cuts in Korea unlikely Today’s interest rate cut by the Bank of Korea (BoK) is unlikely to mark the start of a prolonged period of policy easing. In fact, with growth likely to bounce back strongly in the second half of the... 14th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Does Korea need lower interest rates? A sharp slowdown in the Korean economy last quarter and dovish rhetoric from the central bank has raised expectations that interest rates will be cut at Thursday’s scheduled policy meeting. With the... 11th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Consumer spending in Emerging Asia set for recovery Emerging Asia’s consumers have been struggling in recent months. Tight labour markets and improving growth prospects point to some pick-up going forward, but high levels of household debt in a number... 4th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia's financial markets recover on the back of election results Most of the region's currencies and equity markets fared well over the past month. In particular, Joko Widodo's presidential election victory in July helped Indonesia's financial markets stage a... 31st July 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Property price worries prompt rate hikes The central banks of New Zealand, the Philippines and Malaysia all tightened monetary policy last month amid signs that policymakers are becoming increasingly concerned that loose monetary policy is... 30th July 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korean growth to accelerate in H2 on stimulus spending Despite the sharp Q2 slowdown in Korea, today’s government stimulus package should lead to anacceleration in growth in the second half of the year, putting the economy on schedule to meet ourforecast... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korean slowdown unlikely to prompt a rate cut GDP growth in Korea eased in the second quarter of the year, mainly due to a fall in consumer spending and investment. Although recent economic weakness has reignited talk of a possible rate cut, we... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly How much do commodities matter to Malaysia? As one of the region's few net commodity exporters, there are some concerns that Malaysia is vulnerable to a fall in commodity prices. But Malaysia is not as dependent on commodities as is often... 18th July 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea in no rush to hike interest rates Interest rates in Korea were left on hold today, and with inflation set to stay subdued we expect monetary policy to remain unchanged for the rest of the year. 10th July 2014 · 1 min read