East Asia Econ

East Asia Today

Today's focus is China, with the release of headline trade data for March, and upstream price data through the first 10 days of April to give an early sense of PPI inflation this month. Also, my latest video, discussing the impact of the Iran war on the outlook for the region.

Paul Cavey

Apr 14, 2026 • 2 min read

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China – semiconductors boost imports

Today's trade data for March don't get us so far: only headline data have been released, and underlying trends are still obscured by Chinese New Year distortions. Overall, however, exports look firm, with auto sales rising again. Imports are very strong, but that is more about chips than energy.

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Region – implications of the war

My latest video, discussing the impact of the Iran war on the outlook for the region

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East Asia Today

China's PBC is increasing liquidity injections, with only limited feedthrough to broader monetary conditions. In Japan, by contrast, the BOJ is tapering, but bank lending growth remains strong. Korea's exports for the first 10 days of April increased sharply, pushing up the trade surplus.