Asia Economics Weekly Singapore inflation worries, BBM taking the right steps Rising inflation and a strong economy have fuelled talk that monetary policy in Singapore will need to be tightened further. But we think the backdrop will have changed by the time the Monetary... 27th May 2022 · 7 mins read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor EM growth hit by China lockdown and war in Ukraine Recently-released Q1 GDP figures showed that most EMs performed well at the start of this year, but headwinds are growing. Lockdowns are dealing a heavy blow to China’s economy and spillovers from the... 26th May 2022 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea will remain hawkish, in the short term The decision by the Bank of Korea (BoK) to hike its policy rate by 25bps, to 1.75%, is likely to be followed by more hikes to tackle elevated inflation. But the Bank is set to turn more dovish further... 26th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Singapore GDP (Q1, revised) The decent upwards revision to Q1 GDP data reveals that the economy gained more momentum at the end of the quarter, a trend which is likely to carry on throughout Q2. Asia Drop-In (26th May, 0900 BST... 25th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Dovish Bank Indonesia in no hurry to raise rates Bank Indonesia left interest rates unchanged today and the dovish tone from the press conference suggests the central bank is in no rush to tighten policy. We are maintaining our view the central bank... 24th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Pakistan: Further tightening needed, as IMF talks begin High inflation and the fall in the currency were the two key factors behind the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) decision to raise interest rates by a further 150bp today. More tightening looks... 23rd May 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Asia late to tightening but won’t have to go far Central banks in India, the Philippines and Malaysia have all raised interest rates for the first time this cycle in recent weeks, and we expect further hikes next week in Indonesia, Korea and... 20th May 2022 · 9 mins read
Asia Economics Update Philippines: central bank will tighten gradually The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) started raising interest rates today, but with inflation set to slow later in the year and the economic recovery likely to weaken, the tightening cycle is set... 19th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Emerging Markets Capital Flows Monitor Net capital outflows from EMs appear to have picked up over the past few weeks amid the general risk-off mood in global financial markets. This is a worrying development for countries with fragile... 18th May 2022 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Asia to remain inflation outlier Despite surging global food and fuel prices, inflation across most of Emerging Asia looks set to remain relatively low. This is the key reason why tightening cycles in the region will be much more... 17th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Thailand GDP (Q1) Following continued growth in the first quarter, the pace of the recovery will largely depend on how quickly tourists return now that the country has fully reopened to foreign visitors. Emerging Asia... 17th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Inflation surge not just a food and energy story Higher food and energy prices go some way to explaining the rise in headline inflation rates across the emerging world, but this is only part of the story. Core inflation has also jumped in many EMs... 16th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Malaysia GDP (Q1) Malaysia’s economy continued to rebound strongly at the start of this year and should grow at a decent pace throughout the rest of 2022. That said, there is still a long way for the recovery to go and... 13th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Frontier Markets Wrap Three positive stories from frontier markets There has been plenty of doom and gloom surrounding the outlook for frontier economies over recent months, particularly Sri Lanka and Tunisia. But there are some places where we hold more upbeat views... 12th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Asia Data Response Philippines GDP (Q1) The Philippines economy beat expectations again in Q1 and should have gained further momentum in recent months. But we suspect the strength of the recovery will begin to wane soon. China Drop-In (12... 12th May 2022 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Focus EM sovereign debt: where do the risks lie? The strong dollar and spill-overs from the war in Ukraine have caused sovereign debt risks to escalate in some frontier markets. But most large EMs have far stronger public sector balance sheets... 11th May 2022 · 14 mins read