Articles
7 June 2019

Asia week ahead: Data dump from China and India

We'll be watching a raft of economic releases from China and India next week for evidence about GDP growth and the impact of the trade war in the current quarter 

China: Stimulus is helping

China reports most of the economic data for May next week. The combined April-May data will be a good gauge of GDP growth in the current quarter and will be scrutinised for clues about the impact of the ongoing trade war with the US. The economy seems to be experiencing only tremors right now and growth appears to be holding up, as in the first quarter of the year.

This will probably continue to be the case for the second quarter, judging from consensus forecasts for most of the upcoming economic indicators, especially forecasts of steady to slightly better growth of fixed asset investment, retail sales and industrial production. The money and lending data will offer clues about the fiscal stimulus efforts, which remain supportive for the domestic economy at least. Export weakness is just starting to come through but low single-digit export declines are still better than the declines seen in regional economies.

India: Inflation test of latest RBI rate cut

India’s trade and industrial production figures will inform our view of where India’s GDP growth is heading in the current quarter after a surprisingly weak, five-year low of 5.8% in the last quarter. The weak GDP was a trigger for the Reserve Bank of India’s 25 basis points RBI rate cut this week – the third this year.

Consumer price inflation will also be in the spotlight following that decision. Inflation is creeping higher as rising food prices kick in after weak farm output growth in the last quarter, while the favourable base year effect is also nearing its end. We believe the RBI easing cycle is over for now (See "We were wrong on RBI policy, but for the right reasons").

Asia Economic Calendar

 - Source: ING, Bloomberg, *GMT
Source: ING, Bloomberg, *GMT

Disclaimer

"THINK Outside" is a collection of specially commissioned content from third-party sources, such as economic think-tanks and academic institutions, that ING deems reliable and from non-research departments within ING. ING Bank N.V. ("ING") uses these sources to expand the range of opinions you can find on the THINK website. Some of these sources are not the property of or managed by ING, and therefore ING cannot always guarantee the correctness, completeness, actuality and quality of such sources, nor the availability at any given time of the data and information provided, and ING cannot accept any liability in this respect, insofar as this is permissible pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations.

This publication does not necessarily reflect the ING house view. This publication has been prepared solely for information purposes without regard to any particular user's investment objectives, financial situation, or means. The information in the publication is not an investment recommendation and it is not investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Reasonable care has been taken to ensure that this publication is not untrue or misleading when published, but ING does not represent that it is accurate or complete. ING does not accept any liability for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from any use of this publication. Unless otherwise stated, any views, forecasts, or estimates are solely those of the author(s), as of the date of the publication and are subject to change without notice.

The distribution of this publication may be restricted by law or regulation in different jurisdictions and persons into whose possession this publication comes should inform themselves about, and observe, such restrictions.

Copyright and database rights protection exists in this report and it may not be reproduced, distributed or published by any person for any purpose without the prior express consent of ING. All rights are reserved.

ING Bank N.V. is authorised by the Dutch Central Bank and supervised by the European Central Bank (ECB), the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) and the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). ING Bank N.V. is incorporated in the Netherlands (Trade Register no. 33031431 Amsterdam).