29 January, 2019
By Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic and Lim Yee Ping, Economist, CIMB Research
HIGHLIGHTS January Monetary Policy Committee: Prospects of OPR hike dim BNM kept OPR at 3.25% at the first MPC meeting of 2019, as widely expected. Private sector to do the heavy lifting in sustaining
28 January, 2019
By Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic and Lim Yee Ping, Economist, CIMB Research
HIGHLIGHTS December 2018 consumer price inflation Headline inflation was steady at 0.2% yoy in December, while 2018 inflation rose 0.8% yoy, the mildest since 2009. We lower our 2019F inflation forecast from 2.7% to
14 November, 2018
By Lim Yee Ping, Economist, CIMB Research and Economics and Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic
HIGHLIGHTS 3Q18 GDP growth: In line with expectation 3Q18 real GDP growth of 5.2% yoy was supported by investment activity and public consumption whereas net exports remained a drag on GDP growth. We revise
7 November, 2018
By Lim Yee Ping, Economist, CIMB Research and Economics and Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic
HIGHLIGHTS 3Q18 direct investments Direct investments (DI) fell 5.7% yoy to US$12.5bn in 3Q18 due to a deeper contraction in foreign direct investments (FDI) of 20.2% yoy to US$6.6bn. DI in manufacturing sector was
23 October, 2018
By Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic and Lim Yee Ping, Economist, CIMB Research
HIGHLIGHTS Striking the right balance Key elements to watch in Budget 2019: Detailed fiscal framework, spending adjustments and revenue enhancements, like asset sales and taxes. Budget deficit to widen to 3.5-3.7% of GDP in
22 October, 2018
By Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic and Sofea Azahar, Economist, CIMB Research and Economics
HIGHLIGHTS September 2018 trade NODX jumped to 8.3% yoy in September after a slower gain of 5.0% yoy in August due to sturdier growth in pharmaceuticals and narrower contraction in electronics. MAS raised the
18 October, 2018
By Lim Yee Ping, Economist, CIMB Research and Economics and Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic
HIGHLIGHTS September 2018 trade Steeper moderation in import growth led to the turnaround in trade balance to a surplus of US$227m in September, but 3Q18 trade deficit rose to a 5-year high. Weakening Rp/US$
17 October, 2018
By Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic and Sofea Azahar, Economist, CIMB Research and Economics
HIGHLIGHTS MAS monetary policy review MAS steepened the slope of the S$NEER slightly, while maintaining the width and centre of the policy band, signaling further tightening of monetary policy. The policy decision was underpinned
8 October, 2018
By Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic and Lim Yee Ping, Economist, CIMB Research
HIGHLIGHTS August 2018 trade Trade surplus sank to a 46-month low of RM1.6bn due to weaker non-oil commodity exports and E&E shipments Our 2018 export forecast is lowered to 6.5% to reflect challenging trade
3 October, 2018
By Lim Yee Ping, Economist, CIMB Research and Economics and Michelle Chia, Economist, CIMB Research and Economic
HIGHLIGHTS September 2018 CPI inflation Headline and core inflation decelerated in September. The headline inflation of 2.9% yoy was at its weakest pace since August 2016. The pass-through effect of a weaker rupiah and
