Asia Economy

While the floodwaters that submerged much of Thailand’s economic heartlands are receding, the high tide mark of damage to the economy has yet to be reached. A full assessment of losses is still a long way from being completed, but the government is confident of a quick recovery.

The Philippines’ economy appears to be slowing, with most analysts revising the country’s growth predictions as weakening demand in global markets undermines its export trade. However, given the Philippines’ sound fiscal reserves, there are few concerns that economic expansion will actually stall.

Looking to build on its recent good showing in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business (EODB) survey, where it made solid gains in a number of categories and improved its overall ranking, Brunei Darussalam is now looking to further enhance its business climate and attract increasing levels of foreign direct investment. Yet, it still has some way to go before it achieves its goal of being included in the upper percentile of the World Bank ratings.

Thailand has expressed interest in joining the US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the US’s ambitious plan to develop a free-trade zone across the Asia-Pacific region, though Bangkok has made clear it will want to assess any downside to its own economy before bringing down its trade barriers.

Indonesia is confident it can ride out any waves whipped up by the storm affecting much of the global economy, thanks in part to its low dependence on exports and booming domestic demand. There are some concerns, however, that reduced interest rates and high consumer spending could reignite inflation.

With investors and policy makers gathering in Kota Kinabalu in late October for a key investment forum, Sabah’s decision makers were able to present a picture of growing confidence in the state’s economy and in its ability to leverage Sabah’s unique position in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).