Asia Economics Weekly Bank of Korea set to tighten again We expect Korea’s central bank to hike the base rate by 25bp for the second meeting in a row on Friday, which would take the policy rate to 3.0%. This is also the consensus view. Core inflation, which... 7th February 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's slowdown has probably bottomed out Today’s Q4 GDP data for Korea show that growth eased in q/q terms, as expected. The economy is likely to regain traction during the course of this year, while policymakers have rightly become more... 26th January 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Bank of Korea still has more work to do The Bank of Korea (BoK) lifted its policy rate by 25bp to 2.75% today, which was in line with our forecast but surprised the consensus. Policymakers have rightly become more focused on inflation and... 13th January 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Bank of Korea set to hike policy rates again We expect Korea’s central bank to lift its policy rate by 25bp to 2.75% on Thursday. This is in contrast to the consensus view which forecasts no change. The worst of the slowdown looks to have come... 10th January 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea-US trade deal good for both sides The amendments in the Korea-US free trade deal (KORUS) announced earlier this month have caused some protests in Korea, but the risk that the new arrangement is blocked by the National Assembly looks... 16th December 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Further Bank of Korea tightening only a matter of time The Bank of Korea (BoK) held its policy rate at 2.5% today, as expected. Nonetheless, the economy should regain momentum during the course of next year while inflation is likely to trend higher. The... 9th December 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Asia's slowdown to bottom soon (Q4 10) The post-recession rebound in most of Latin America is showing signs of slowing but growth is likely to remain fairly strong over the coming quarters. We still expect the region to expand by around 4... 1st December 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update More Bank of Korea rate hikes on the way The Bank of Korea (BoK) hiked its policy rate by 25bp to 2.5% today, in a move we had expected but which surprised the Bloomberg consensus. The economy should regain momentum over the next 12 months... 16th November 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea's monetary tightening set to resume The Bank of Korea meets on Tuesday and, we judge, will probably lift its 7-day repo rate by 25bp to 2.5%. GDP growth has inevitably slowed given the tougher global environment but domestic demand is... 15th November 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korea's growth to be slower but better balanced Data published today show that Korea’s GDP growth slowed in Q3. The economy will stay on a slow track for some time and in 2011 overall now looks set to expand at a sub-trend pace. Nevertheless, the... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea's growth to slow, but not for too long Q3 GDP data will be released in Korea this week and are expected to show that the economy has lost some momentum. What’s more, the upswing will probably stay on a slower track in coming quarters... 25th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea focused on growth, but rates will still rise The Bank of Korea (BoK) held its policy rate at 2.25% today, as expected. The economy is losing some momentum but growth should not stall, while the won is climbing and is doing some of the... 14th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update North Korea; probably the worst top job in the world Public appearances in recent days have confirmed that Kim Jong-eun, the youngest son of Kim Jong-iI, has become North Korea’s new leader-in-waiting. It is good news for the region that a leadership... 13th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asia's industrial slowdown to level out soon Manufacturing PMIs for emerging Asia and Australia declined further in September. Factory output across the region will continue to adjust as the global upswing stays on a weak track. Nevertheless... 1st October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Asia is re-balancing and will continue to lead (Q3 10) The global upswing is now regaining some traction and the threat of renewed financial crisis has diminished. However, the world recovery will stay weak and vulnerable to other risks such as deflation... 23rd September 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea biding its time, but rate hikes lie ahead The Bank of Korea (BoK) unexpectedly held its policy rate at 2.25% today. Concerns about rising global uncertainties tipped the balance in favour of no change, despite the BoK expecting solid GDP... 9th September 2010 · 1 min read
