There was no change from the BOK today, and the decision to stay on hold was unanimous. That wasn't a surprise. However, the meeting was informative, with the clear takeaway being BOK confidence that this cycle will run through 2027.
The BOK is unlikely to move tomorrow when it hiked twice recently, the KRW has finally firmed, and there is nervousness about the AI cycle. However, if those worries are just a wobble, then there's still much room for the semi surge to feed into domestic demand, and tomorrow will just be a pause.
From the perspective of a government that wants to meet a 2026 growth target without having to shift policy, the September data are encouraging. But the 2027 outlook for the domestic economy is looking more challenging. That will become more visible if global demand and price trends change.
With regional macro dependent on continuation of the US AI build-out, the equity sell-off last week matters. That said, there are still complications: TSMC still sounds very bullish, and while for bad economies, it isn't clear that an end of the AI cycle would be so negative for currencies.
A chart pack focused on China's trade: the China Squeeze isn't so severe; the China Shock is, but is likely to intensify further; as important as both is a shortfall in imports, which is broad-based, and worsening. That reflects weak demand, which Beijing still shows no urgency in addressing.
That external factors continue to be the driving force of China's cycle dynamics was once again evident in the strength of both exports and PPI inflation in September. The combination puts a floor under overall nominal growth, and makes it unlikely that domestic policy becomes more aggressive.
I don't think the China-EU sectoral deal means a China-EU CNY deal is coming. The cycle continues to improve in Japan. Export momentum in Korea and Taiwan remain strong, with more signs of spillover into inflation in Taiwan. Links to all last week's research, as well as my latest podcast appearance.
Q2 aggregate consumption was weak because incomes were too. Asset incomes are rising, but wages are soft, and in cash terms, the tax burden has been increasing. But while spending in aggregate terms is constrained, the population is falling, so in per capita terms there is actually recovery.
The strength of the current account in August shows Q3 will be another blowout for nominal GDP, improving all Korea's macro ratios. That provides cyclical and structural reasons for KRW strength and relative outperformance of longer-term KTBs. The headwind remains equity outflows.
Taiwan's price data still don't suggest the economy is overheating. But pipeline pressure is strong, computer prices are surging, indirect energy prices can't be easily controlled by policy, and underlying inflation still looks firm. That all stands out when real interest rates are still negative.
The overall impression from all today's releases is continued inflation pressure supported by a stronger mfg cycle. The signs of a fall-off in services momentum, however, bear monitoring, perhaps showing signs that tightening might actually be biting. If so, the implication is a flatter curve.
China's incremental policy is unlikely to move the cycle. Japan's nominal growth is strong enough to make the October BOJ meeting interesting. In Korea, the mainstream MPC view of one hike in the next 6M looks light. The revival in property sentiment in Taiwan is important given negative real rates.
