News Highlights - Week of 10 - 14 October 2011

Last week the Philippines accepted a total of US$1.3 billion in a buyback of EUR- and US$-denominated bonds. In line with the buyback exercise, the government raised US$50 million through the reopening of its bonds maturing on 23 October 2034 with a coupon of 6.375%. The Bureau of the Treasury also launched its second retail treasury bond offering of the year. On the corporate front, Banco De Oro Unibank Inc. issued PHP6.5 billion worth of unsecured subordinated notes that qualify as Tier 2 capital. Finally, in response to the weakening global economy the Philippine government unveiled a PHP72.1 billion fiscal stimulus package to boost the country's growth through the first half of 2012. 

*In the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Ministry of Railways sold CNY10 billion worth of 5-year bonds and CNY10 billion worth of 20-year bonds. These bonds qualify for the 50% reduction in the tax on interest income as recently announced by the National Development Reform Council. The Export-Import Bank of Korea issued KRW170 billion worth of 1-year zero-coupon bonds and Shinhan Bank issued KRW100 billion of 2-year bonds. In Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur Kepong sold MYR300 million worth of 5-year Islamic bonds, while TRIplc issued MYR240 million worth of medium-term notes in several tranches that were guaranteed by Danajamin Nasional. 

*Bank Indonesia's Board of Governors cut the benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 6.50% in its meeting on 11 October. The Bank of Korea's Monetary Policy Committee decided to maintain its 7-day repurchase rate at 3.25% in its meeting on 13 October. The Monetary Authority of Singapore announced that it will continue with a policy of modest and gradual appreciation of the Singapore dollar, but will reduce the slope of the policy band to the prevailing level of the nominal effective exchange rate. 

*Inflation in the PRC fell in September to 6.1% year-on-year (y-o-y) from 6.2% in August. Growth in the PRC's producer price index also eased to 6.5% y-o-y from 7.3% in August.

*Singapore's economy expanded 5.9% y-o-y in 3Q11, according to advance estimates released last week by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Meanwhile, Malaysia's industrial production index rose 3.0% y-o-y in August following a revised 0.5% y-o-y decline in July. Also, manufacturing sales posted 10.8% y-o-y growth in August compared with revised 9.5% growth in July. 

*The PRC posted a trade surplus of US$14.5 billion in September, the smallest since May, due to weakening demand from developed economies. Export growth fell to 17.1% y-o-y in September from 24.5% in August. In the Philippines, exports fell 15.1% y-o-y to US$4.1 billion in August, the steepest decline since September 2009. 

*The M3 money supply in the Philippines grew 9.4% y-o-y to PHP4.3 trillion in August. Liquidity was fueled by the expansion of net foreign assets at a pace of 21.7% y-o-y on sustained inflows from overseas Filipino remittances and portfolio and direct investments. 

*Government bond yields fell for all tenors in Indonesia and for most tenors in the PRC, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The yield spread between the 2-year and 10-year maturities narrowed for most emerging East Asian markets while it widened for Hong Kong, China; Malaysia, and Thailand.