News Highlights - Week of 31 October - 4 November 2011

Consumer price inflation in Indonesia slowed to 4.4% year-on-year (y-o-y) in October from 4.6% in September on account of lower prices for most food items. Consumer price inflation in the Republic of Korea eased to 3.9% y-o-y in October from 4.3% in September. In the Philippines, consumer price inflation quickened to 5.2% y-o-y in October from 4.8% in September. In Thailand, consumer price inflation rose to 4.2% y-o-y in October from 4.0% in September. 

*The People's Republic of China's (PRC) manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 50.4 in October from 51.2 in August, while the non-manufacturing PMI fell to 57.7 from 59.3 over the same period. Singapore's PMI was at 49.5 in October, slightly higher than the 49.4 registered in September but still below a reading of 50 which signals an increase in output. Viet Nam's index of industrial production rose 5.3% y-o-y in October, down from a 12.0% increase in September.

*Hong Kong, China's retail sales grew 24.1% y-o-y in September, following 29.0% growth in August. Viet Nam's total retail sales of consumer goods and services for the first 10 months rose by 23.1% y-o-y. In Japan, domestic vehicle sales in October jumped 28.3% y-o-y to 247,927 units. 

*Indonesia's export growth accelerated to 46.3% y-o-y in September, following a revised 35.9% growth rate in August. The Republic of Korea's export growth rate fell to 9.3% in October from 18.8% in September. Malaysia's export growth rose to 16.6% y-o-y in September from 10.9% in August.

*Bank of China (Hong Kong) issued US$750 million worth of 5-year bonds with a coupon of 3.75%. Hong Kong, China auctioned HKD3 billion worth of HKSAR bonds at an average yield of .468%. Henderson Land, a Hong Kong, China-based property developer, priced SGD200 million worth of Reg S 5-year bonds at a yield of 3.865%. Daewoo Shipbuilding issued KRW300 billion of 3-year bonds last week with a coupon rate of 4.41%. Also, Industrial Bank of Korea raised a total of KRW700 billion worth of bonds, ranging from 1-year zero coupon bonds (KRW300 billion) to 15-year bonds with a 4.58% coupon (KRW50 billion). Petron Corporation raised PHP3.6 billion by issuing fixed-rate bonds to institutional investors. First Metro Investment Corp. (FMIC) issued 5-year bonds with a coupon of 4.6301% in FMIC's first debt sale, which has a target of PHP5 billion-PHP7 billion. Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is issuing PHP5 billion worth of fixed-rate notes consisting of 5-, 7- and 10-year tenors with yields of 5.4692%, 5.4963%, and 6.2188%, respectively. Siam Cement issued THB10 billion worth of 4-year bonds at a coupon rate of 4.25%.

*Net foreign investment into the Republic of Korea's local currency (LCY) bonds surged KRW1,594.4 billion in October, following a net outflow of KRW2.5 billion in September. 

*Government bond yields fell last week for most tenors in the PRC; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Singapore; and Viet Nam, while yields rose for most tenors in the Philippines and Thailand. Yield spreads between 2- and 10- year maturities widened in Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam, while spreads narrowed in other emerging East Asian markets.