PH in the best shape among Asia's emerging markets
  • 5 years ago
It's a tough year for investors in many emerging Asian markets. India teetering on the brink of crisis. From China down to Indonesia stocks have lost ground as investors brace for the unwinding of the U.S. Federal Reserve's massive stimulus. But which countries look set to emerge the healthiest after the storm? Here's our heat map of the region showing which countries are hot, which are not, and which ones are in between. And overall, the Philippines, once called the sick man of Asia, is in the best shape. It shines in terms of annual GDP growth, sitting alongside China and Indonesia. Korea, Japan, Thailand, India growing at the slowest pace. Vietnam and Malaysia in the middle. The Philippines again tops a scorecard of company earnings beating or meeting expectations. About two-thirds of company results there met or exceeded market forecasts in the last quarter - compared to only a third in Korea, Hong Kong, and China. Stock markets however are painting a bleaker picture. Only five of the regional markets we've looked at are in the black year-to-date. And only the Nikkei and Vietnam's small index have excelled with gains over 14 percent. Forecasts for grade-a office rents in major cities are one way to gauge growth expectations going forward. And by that measure, the region's doing well. There's particular interest in Jakarta, Beijing, and Bangkok, all looking at over 10 percent growth for rents this year. Overall, this once fast-growing region is cooling down. For Asia, it seems bigger is no longer necessarily better.