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 Weekly Credit growth in Emerging Asia still unsustainable We have been arguing for some time that Emerging Asia’s credit binge is unsustainable, and that credit growth will need to slow for a crisis to be avoided. While there are encouraging signs that... 19th September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand rates to stay low to support recovery With the economy showing signs of the improvement, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) unsurprisingly held its policy rate at 2.0% at its meeting today. Nonetheless, the economy is still some way away from... 17th September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand's recovery will be gradual Thailand's economy is showing signs of improvement going into the second half of 2014 amid reduced political uncertainty. However, it continues to face headwinds that will restrain the pace of its... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Thai rice prices likely to come off the boil The rebound in the price of Thai rice over the last few months has been driven by the suspension ofgovernment sales and reinforced by the recent stock write-offs. However, Thailand’s rice stocks... 2nd 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 Thailand’s economic recovery will take time Thailand's economic performance improved in the second quarter, following the military coup in late May that has helped calm political unrest and boosted confidence in the economy. Growth is set to... 18th August 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand to keep rates on hold until 2015 The Bank of Thailand (BoT) unsurprisingly held its policy rate at 2.0% at its meeting today amid an improving growth outlook. But as the economy may take some time to achieve a sustained recovery, we... 6th 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 Thailand is showing signs of post-crisis recovery Thailand's economy appears to be on the road to recovery following the military coup on 22 nd May. But challenges remain and we expect the economy to grow at less than its trend rate for a while yet. 9th July 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Weaker credit growth to weigh on region Most countries in Emerging Asia should record reasonable growth over the next couple of years, helped by a combination of supportive monetary policy and a pick-up in demand from advanced economies... 4th July 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand’s financial markets recover, while Indonesia’s falter Reduced political tensions in Thailand have boosted its stock market and the baht. But in Indonesia, growing uncertainty over the result of July’s presidential election has weighed on financial... 30th June 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea will struggle to overcome its demographic drag Korea has some of the worst demographic dynamics in Emerging Asia. Not only is the population set to age dramatically, but the size of the overall workforce is also set to fall sharply. Although the... 30th June 2014 · 1 min read
