East Asia Econ

East Asia Today

Lots of data in Japan today, which again show the cycle warming up, and that Takaichi's economic inheritance is very different from that of Abe almost 15 years ago. Taiwan's trade data are distorted by LNY, so stronger sales to China, and of non-semi products, are interesting, not conclusive.

Paul Cavey

Feb 9, 2026 • 2 min read

Public Post

Region – the cheapness of currencies

My latest video, discussing the cheapness of currencies across the region, why that didn't change in 2025, and why it might in 2026.

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East Asia Today

A longer note on Korean household savings and consumption. To put that in context, this daily includes charts giving the regional picture over the last 30 years. The only cyclical indicator released today was TSMC's sales for January, which were strong, but might not mean much given LNY distortions.

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Korea – consequences of higher savings

The BOK recently published some nice research highlighting the rise in the household savings ratio. That is an important phenomenon, helping explain the weakness of consumption, the rise in the current account surplus, and being intertwined with the surge in Korea's overseas equity buying.