Asia Chart Pack Rate debate heats up in Indonesia The war of words between Bank Indonesia (BI) and the government is heating up after the country’s vice president, Jusuf Kalla, earlier this week renewed its call for the central bank to cut interest... 25th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand’s tourism rebound has run its course The bombings in Bangkok in mid-August have not prevented the tourism sector from giving Thailand’s economy a big boost this year. But a repeat cannot be expected in 2016, which is one reason why GDP... 23rd November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia well placed to weather Fed lift-off The parts of Asia that were hardest hit during the 2013 “Taper Tantrum” have seen their current account deficits fall back, or even disappear, over the past couple of years. This should make them less... 20th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Thailand GDP (Q3) Thailand's growth picked up in the third quarter, to a seasonally-adjusted 1.0% q/q from a revised 0.3% the quarter before. While the worst should now be over for Thailand’s economy, the recovery is... 16th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia’s central banks in no rush to reverse rate cuts Asia’s central banks will be in no hurry to raise interest rates next year despite the fact that inflation is likely to rise sharply over the coming months and the US Fed could just be a few weeks... 13th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Interest rates to remain low in Thailand for some time yet With the economy starting to show some tentative signs of recovery, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) decided to leave interest rates on hold at 1.50% today. Looking ahead, with inflation likely to remain... 4th November 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Credit slowdown has further to run Credit growth has continued to weaken in most of the countries which we have previously highlighted as being most at risk of a crisis. The two exceptions are China and Vietnam. Although an... 30th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Regaining some lost ground Financial markets in Asia have fallen back following the US Fed’s monetary policy statement on Wednesday, which struck a more hawkish tone than many had expected. Despite the most recent falls, almost... 29th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Vietnam and Bangladesh exports bucking the trend Fossil fuels should continue to be the world’s most important energy source for the foreseeable future. However, renewable energy production will grow rapidly and become an increasingly large part of... 27th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Deflation: Exit ahead The latest warnings that deflation is a major cause for concern in Emerging Asia are wide of the mark. In fact, we think inflation will be back in positive territory across the entire region by early... 16th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Emerging Asia set for recovery The jump in Egyptian inflation to 9.2% y/y in September was driven almost entirely by a rise in the volatile food component. While we do expect inflation to fall back again, last month’s data mean an... 12th October 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Panic subsides, but pessimism lingers Although the China-led panic that swept through Asian markets in August has subsided over the past month, most of the region’s currencies and equity markets still recorded losses. Investor sentiment... 30th September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Time to worry about a weak rupiah? The Indonesian rupiah has fallen again over the past week, hitting a fresh 17-year low against the US dollar. The sharp drop in the currency, which is down by a cumulative 33% since the start of 2013... 23rd September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Further easing in Thailand can’t be ruled out yet The Bank of Thailand (BoT) kept its policy rate on hold at 1.5% today, undoubtedly with an eye on the US Fed’s rate meeting this week. But with the economy still in deflation and struggling for... 16th September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Why have exports been so weak? The slump in commodity prices accounts for most of the decline in Asian exports this year, even in countries which are not major commodity exporters. 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand’s economic struggles to continue Thailand’s economy started the second half of 2015 on a weak note, and while the recently announced fiscal stimulus package should help support demand, it is unlikely to be a game-changer. Rising... 3rd September 2015 · 1 min read