- Bank Indonesia surprised yesterday by starting its easing cycle, hours ahead of the Fed’s own first cut.
- We’ve added a few more rate cuts to our outlook, and now see the BI rate ending 2025 at 4.75%.
- Blame a gold rush for India’s deficit blowout in August, which masked a few key silver linings.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- In one line: Post-duty cut spike in gold imports hits the deficit hard, overshadowing a more confident recovery in real import demand.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- In one line: Down to a four-month low, thanks to a broad-based deceleration.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
A solid month of August for Indonesian exports, but downside risks linger
Recovery in Singapore's semiconductor exports cushions August headline
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- Indonesian export growth rose to a 19-month high in August, but this leap faces major downside risks.
- Singapore’s exports are still benefiting from the continued recovery in electronics demand.
- RBI Governor Das sounds less adamant that rate cuts require 4% long-run CPI; all eyes on October.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- We’re keeping to our base case that the first cut from the RBI could come as soon as next month…
- …The bounce in CPI is unlikely to be as bad as the MPC feared, with food pressures truly subsiding.
- Headline IP growth looks stable on the surface, but momentum has clearly faded in recent months.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- In one line: The improvement in food inflation is real; IP is losing steam, with support from consumer industries fading quickly.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
Indonesian retail sales growth remains skin-deep
A reassuring start to the third quarter for Philippine trade
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- Indonesian sales growth rose to a four-month high in July, but the underlying trends remain weak…
- …Consumer confidence is still subdued year-over- year, and this could soon hurt borrowing appetite.
- The mirror image in Philippine sales growth is just as misleading; support from jobs has peaked.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
Vietnamese exports are regaining momentum, thanks in large part to US demand
We’ve seen enough; downgrading our inflation forecasts for Vietnam
Actual retail sales growth in Vietnam remains in the log single-digit range
The latest slump in Philippine sales is starting to bottom out, just
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
Philippine inflation falls back dramatically into the BSP’s target range, thanks to food base effects
The return of transportation and communication deflation in Thailand should be short-lived
Soft start for Singaporean retail sales growth in Q3
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- ASEAN’s PMI slowed noticeably to 51.1 in August from the mid-to-high 51.0 range since May…
- …Vietnam's and Thailand’s PMIs saw the biggest declines from July, but Indonesia is the real worry.
- The deterioration in orders, due to BI’s excessively tight policy stance in Indonesia, is isolated for now.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
Indonesia’s PMI is going from bad to worse, hitting the ASEAN headline
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
Steady headline masks continued food disinflation in Indonesia
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- In one line: Unwinding of discrepancy boost in Q2 hides early signs of a revival in consumption.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- In one line: Continue to ignore; households are still struggling.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- Indonesia’s main inflation gauges were unchanged in August: the headline at 2.1% and core at 2.0%…
- …But food inflation remains a big drag and will likely pull the headline below 1.5% at the turn of the year.
- The budget deficit has ballooned this year, but 2025 looks set to see only marginal subsidy reductions.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- India’s Q2 GDP was hit largely by the unwinding of the discrepancy boost, hiding a consumer bump.
- The Q3 PMIs so far point to a further slowdown, and business expectations continue to sour rapidly.
- The pressure on households persists, but the gap between liabilities and asset growth is closing.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
BSP PULLS THE TRIGGER ON RATE CUTS
- …INDIA’S FINAL 2024/25 BUDGET IS NO GAME-CHANGER
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
- In one line: Relax; the trade balance is stabilising.
Miguel Chanco (Chief EM Asia Economist)Emerging Asia
