Asia Data Response Sri Lanka GDP (Q2 2016) GDP figures published today show economic growth in Sri Lanka slowed sharply inthe second quarter of 2016. Given the serious doubts that remain about the reliabilityof the data, we are wary of reading... 15th September 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly ASEAN still struggling for purpose The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has just concluded its annual meeting in Laos, has little chance of becoming the kind of single market and production base which could one... 9th September 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka holds rates, but further tightening still likely The central bank in Sri Lanka (CBSL) today left interest rates on hold despite a continued acceleration in credit growth, high inflation and a weak currency. We think another interest rate hike is... 30th August 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly The dangers of decoupling Economic growth across Emerging Asia accelerated last quarter, as strong domestic demand compensated for weak exports. But while this “decoupling” has enabled Emerging Asia to shrug-off the weakness... 26th August 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Export struggles to continue The recent improvement in export performance across Emerging Asia owes more to the fading effects of the collapse in commodity prices on export values than a recovery in underlying demand. We expect... 19th August 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka’s tightening cycle has further to go The central bank in Sri Lanka (CBSL) today raised its deposit and lending rates by 50bp each in whatwas Indrajit Coomaraswamy’s first monetary policy meeting as governor. With credit growing at... 28th July 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Sri Lanka GDP (Q1) GDP figures published today showed growth in Sri Lanka picked up in the first quarter of 2016. However, we are wary of reading too much into the data, given the serious doubts that remain over the... 15th June 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Inflation set to rise, but central banks in no hurry to hike rates Inflation looks set to rise in most of Emerging Asia over the coming year, but probably not by enough to worry policy makers, who will look to keep interest rates low to support growth. 10th June 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia well-placed to cope with the Fed’s next rate hikes The US Fed looks set to increase interest rates soon, possibly as early as its June meeting, and we think it will end up hiking more than is generally expected over the next couple of years. However... 26th May 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka keeps rates on hold, but hikes likely soon The central bank in Sri Lanka (CBSL) today held its deposit and lending rates at 6.5% and 8.0%,respectively, for the third straight month. However, we think it is only a matter of time before it... 20th May 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Growth in Sri Lanka to slow despite IMF deal The IMF today announced that it has reached a staff-level agreement with Sri Lanka on a three-year US$1.5bn loan. The deal should help Sri Lanka avoid a balance of payments crisis and stabilise... 29th April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysian ringgit rebound continues Most currencies and equity markets are up so far this month. The Malaysian ringgit has continued to rebound strongly, but political uncertainty ahead of presidential elections in the Philippines is... 28th April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Drought hits agricultural output in Thailand and Vietnam Vietnam and Thailand are facing their worst drought in decades, with water levels in the Mekong River at their lowest since 1926. The drought is already having an impact on growth. A decline in... 27th April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka holds rates, but hikes likely soon The central bank in Sri Lanka (CBSL) today held its deposit and lending rates at 6.5% and 8.0%, respectively. But with credit growing rapidly and core inflation high, we expect rate hikes to come back... 26th April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Are Asia’s policymakers running out of fiscal firepower? Most governments in Emerging Asia have room to support their economies by loosening fiscal policy further in the event that growth continues to disappoint. However, there are a few countries, namely... 22nd April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Export downturn set to drag on The export downturn that began over a year ago is showing little sign of coming to an end. A big part of the reason for the current weakness has been the slump in commodity prices. Even if commodity... 15th April 2016 · 1 min read
