Asia Economics Update Malaysia on hold this year, but rate cut likely in 2013 Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) kept its policy rate on hold today at 3%, as was widely expected. The economy has shaken off the global slowdown better than almost any in Asia, meaning there is little... 6th September 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia's consumers far from immune to global problems We expect global demand to stay weak in coming quarters and for labour markets and consumer confidence in Asia to soften as a result. Central banks in the region are likely to ease further, which... 31st August 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Is Malaysia stuck in a middle-income trap? Malaysia’s government is hoping that its Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) will take the country to high-income status by the end of this decade. Structural problems and sluggish global growth... 29th August 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update ASEAN outperformance set to continue Thanks mainly to strong domestic demand, economic growth in ASEAN has held up much better than in the rest of Asia so far this year. Although weaker exports will weigh on demand in the coming quarters... 21st August 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia proving resilient to global slowdown Today’s GDP data show that Malaysia’s growth unexpectedly increased in Q2, with strong domestic demand more than offsetting export weakness. We are raising our 2012 growth forecast and no longer... 15th August 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Weak global demand to hamper growth Compared with other emerging regions, Asia is relatively well placed to withstand sluggish global growth. For one thing, policymakers have the ability and willingness to significantly loosen monetary... 26th July 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia keeps rates on hold, but cuts likely soon Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) left its policy rate unchanged at 3% today. This came as no surprise. Resilient domestic demand is for now compensating for an export slowdown. Nevertheless, we still expect... 5th July 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Falling oil prices provide more scope to loosen policy Exports from Asia have been weak so far in Q2 but domestic demand has held up reasonably well. Nonetheless, we doubt that growth in Asia’s trade-dependent economies would remain so resilient if global... 26th June 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What do falling commodity prices mean for Australia? Sharp falls in commodity prices over recent weeks have raised questions over the sustainability of Australia’s mining investment boom. On the plus side, the struggling non-mining parts of the economy... 25th June 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Is fiscal stimulus on the way in Asia? Our view that Asia is well-placed to withstand sluggish global growth and the crisis in the euro-zone is based on our belief that policymakers in the region have plenty of scope to cut interest rates... 12th June 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Who in Asia is most vulnerable to a hard landing in China? Recent weak data from China has led to renewed fears of a hard landing in Asia’s biggest economy. The countries most exposed would be those for which China is an important export market such as Hong... 6th June 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Currencies and equities fall sharply, further falls likely Following a strong start to the year, most Asian currencies and equities fell sharply in May. The main reason is that renewed concerns over the euro-zone’s future brought a return in global risk... 31st May 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update How bad were the Q1 data for emerging Asia? Most of Asia reported weak GDP growth in the first quarter of this year, due mainly to weak export demand. The crisis in the euro-zone is likely to weigh heavily on Asia this year. However, the... 23rd May 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia’s growth set to slow further Today’s GDP data show that Malaysia’s growth slowed in Q1, mainly due to weaker exports. With renewed concerns from the euro crisis weighing on global sentiment, exporters are likely to face an even... 23rd May 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Better placed than most to weather Greece exit storm Political deadlock in Greece has re-ignited market fears of euro-zone break-up. While Asia would not escape unscathed from turmoil associated with Greece’s departure from the currency union, the... 21st May 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysian central bank is playing a waiting game Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) left its policy rate unchanged at 3% today, as expected. There have been signs of a slowdown in the economy in early 2012, and low inflation gives BNM room to cut. We still... 11th May 2012 · 1 min read
