Asia week ahead: Indonesia, Philippines, Korea rate calls, key data on China and Japan - ing think

Rate decisions take centre stage, with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas expected to raise rates while Bank Indonesia and the Bank of Korea are likely to stand pat. Markets will also closely watch China's GDP and Japan's inflation figures MAS holds rates steady, but we are not convinced the tightening cycle is over We expect Bank Indonesia to leave the policy rate unchanged at 5.75% on Wednesday given recent exchange-rate stability. Although improving sentiment has eased near-term pressure on policymakers to hike, the underlying balance-of-payments picture hasn’t improved materially. At the same time, upside risks to inflation from higher fuel prices and a severe El Niño could add to domestic price pressures.