Asia Pacific economic outlook – August 2008 |
The August edition of the Asia Pacific economic outlook gives a near-term outlook for China, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea.
- China – The economy slowed down in the second-quarter while inflation reduced slightly. Look for the central bank to limit the pace of appreciation of the Chinese yuan which has been hurting exporters.
- Japan – Japan’s inflation surged in June because of higher energy prices. The central bank is unlikely to increase interest rates because of growth warnings.
- Malaysia – Despite record inflation numbers, the central bank decided to keep interest rates constant. The governor of the central bank has said that he will look at the risk to economic growth before deciding on hiking interest rates.
- South Korea – Second-quarter GDP grew at a brisk pace but the future doesn’t look that bright. CPI is at a nine year high. It is very likely that the central bank will raise rates during its next meeting in August.
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Asia Pacific economic outlook - August 2008
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