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East Asia Update: China's Policy Direction, Korea's Political Woes and Taiwan's Economic Momentum

Economist, Centennial Asia Advisors

Jason Tan

Economist

Centennial Asia Advisors

At Centennial Asia Advisors, we tell it like it is. We have no vested interests, no need for a China wall, and no reason to skew our outlook any other way. With over 30 years experience covering Asia’s political economy, you can be sure our conclusions and analyses are based on the unadulterated facts. Through years of fine-tuning our research methodologies, we deliver a quality of macroeconomic analysis few other houses can match.

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<h2><strong>South Korea: New reforms to drive consumption-led growth</strong></h2><ul>
<li>South Korea’s GDP increased 3% y/y in 4Q17, down from 3.8% in 3Q17. Full-year growth came in at 3.1% for 2017, up from 2.8% in 2016. The slowdown in fourth quarter growth was due to moderating investment and lower exports.</li>
<li>This, however, was partly offset by a boost in household consumption, which grew to a one-year high of 3.4% y/y after a 2.5% increase in 3Q17, and continued growth in government expenditure. Coupled with the recovery in…</li>
</ul>

South Korea: New reforms to drive consumption-led growth
South Korea’s GDP increased 3% y/y in 4Q17, down from 3.8% in 3Q17. Full-year growth came in at 3.1% for 2017, up from 2.8% in 2016. The slowdown in fourth quarter growth was due to moderating investment and lower exports.
This, however, was partly offset by a boost in household consumption, which grew to a one-year high of 3.4% y/y after a 2.5% increase in 3Q17, and continued growth in government expenditure. Coupled with the recovery in…


East Asia: Further Economic Traction Powered by Exports and Consumption