MAS monetary easing unlikely in April: BBVA

Elevated inflation keeping its hands tied.

Here's more from BBVA:

Singapore’s inflation rose sharply in December, to 4.3% y/y (consensus: 3.8% y/y) from 3.6% y/y the previous month, largely on increases in housing (6.7% y/y) and transportation costs (8.2% y/y).

With the MAS’s semi-annual policy meeting beginning to loom on the horizon (April), the market will gradually focus on whether the MAS will ease monetary policy (by slowing the pace of appreciation or re-centering the exchange rate band) in view of recent weak output indicators. Inflation may remain elevated in the near-term, however, as labor markets remain tight and price pressures persist due to rising wages.

We therefore think it is unlikely at this stage that the MAS will ease further. At its previous meeting in October, the MAS surprised the markets by leaving policy unchanged in view of inflation pressures.

The people you want to reach are already in this room.

Every quarter, SBR lands on the desks of the founders, CFOs, and directors running Asia's most consequential companies. Every day, they open our newsletter and read our website. It's a room that took twenty years to build — and it's the one most of our partners are trying to get into.

The good news is that the door is open. We work with companies on thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. The shape of the right partnership depends on what you're trying to do, which is why we'd rather start with a conversation than send a rate card.

If you have something this room should know about, tell us. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.

No rate cards until we understand the brief. It's a better use of everyone's time.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia