Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
Australian Household Spending Dips in December as RBA Tightens Policy 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
Oil Prices Slip as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Middle East Tensions 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Gold and Silver Prices Slide as Dollar Strength and Easing Tensions Weigh on Metals 
Vietnam’s Trade Surplus With US Jumps as Exports Surge and China Imports Hit Record 
Asian Markets Surge as Japan Election, Fed Rate Cut Bets, and Tech Rally Lift Global Sentiment 
Indian Refiners Scale Back Russian Oil Imports as U.S.-India Trade Deal Advances 
UK Starting Salaries See Strongest Growth in 18 Months as Hiring Sentiment Improves 
Dollar Near Two-Week High as Stock Rout, AI Concerns and Global Events Drive Market Volatility 
The global growth drivers that produced the regional upturn have started to fade. And with that, the economic picture has darkened in recent months with expectations building for a sharper slowdown in 2019, according to a report by S&P Global Ratings titled, "Asia-Pacific Crystal Ball--Mild Economic Slowdown Should Extend Through 2019".
Further, the report does not expect global growth drivers to pick up in 2019 and so growth should keep slowing. Asia-Pacific growth is expected to edge down to 5.3 percent in 2019 from 5.4 percent in 2018, a 0.2 percentage point downward revision from the previous forecast at the end of Q3.
Based on S&P’s estimates, India's growth should remain steady at about 7.6 percent next fiscal year whereas previously we had expected a moderate pick-up. They have also trimmed forecasts by 0.1-0.2 percentage point for Australia, Japan, and across ASEAN.
"We have lowered our forecasts for almost every country in Asia-Pacific, underscoring the global nature of the slowdown. For China, we now expect 6.2% in 2019 (previously 6.3%), which assumes that the government will soften or reduce this year's 6.5% growth target," the report added.
"We believe the direct impact of trade tensions on growth in China isn't a big concern. However, U.S. policies impacting China's technology supply chains could disrupt activity and undermine confidence over a longer horizon," said Shaun Roache, S&P Global Ratings' Asia-Pacific Chief Economist.
