Services Driving Business Climate Up. Growth in activity resumed in April according to the Composite PMI (51.1, +2.2pp), supported by the Services PMI (52.2, +2.2pp). By contrast, the Manufacturing PMI remained in contraction territory (48.5, +0.1pp), penalized by the largest deterioration in new orders since February 2024.
Widespread deterioration. The official PMI for the manufacturing sector fell to 49 in April (from 50.5 in March) and the Caixin PMI fell to 50.4 (from 51.2 in March). The decline is widespread across all sub-components and heralds a significant slowdown in activity after the rebound in March. These are the immediate consequences of the new 145% tariffs imposed by the US on Chinese imports.
The tariff offensive led by Donald Trump since his return to the White House has quickly shifted into a face-off with China. Following a cycle of announcements and retaliation, the extra-tariffs applied by the United States to China amount to 145%, compared to 125% in the opposite direction. The shock is of unprecedented magnitude, and the two superpowers are engaged in a negative-sum game.
Japan is heading for a year without quarterly growth. Domestic demand is still constrained, with nominal wages rising at a slower pace than inflation. In addition, the trade policy of the United States, Japan’s largest export market, poses a downside risk.
The vulnerability of ASEAN countries to US trade protectionism has increased significantly since 2017. The US has become a key destination for these countries, which export low-intensity tech products (such as textiles and footwear) as well as medium-intensity tech products (mobile phones) and high-intensity tech products (integrated circuits and semiconductors). Vietnam, Thailand and, to a lesser extent, Malaysia have the largest trade surpluses with the US and are therefore the most exposed to a change in US tariff policy.On 2 April, the US government announced an increase in tariffs on ASEAN countries that goes well beyond simple reciprocity
How will Beijing react to the imminent US protectionist measures? Will the central bank allow the yuan to depreciate in order to offset the effect of tariff hikes on the price competitiveness of Chinese exports?
The message delivered by Beijing at the annual meeting of the National People's Congress at the beginning of March was clear: whatever the difficulties linked to trade and technological rivalries with the United States, the Chinese economy must achieve growth of close to 5% in 2025. The target has remained unchanged since 2023. It seems particularly ambitious this year, given that external demand, the driving force behind Chinese growth in 2024, is set to weaken significantly due to the rise in protectionist measures against China. The authorities are counting on domestic demand to pick up the slack, but this is still coming up against powerful obstacles
In a 1933 article on national self-sufficiency, British economist John Maynard Keynes advised “those who seek to disembarrass a country from its entanglements” to be “very slow and wary” and illustrated his point with the following image: “It should not be a matter of tearing up roots but of slowly training a plant to grow in a different direction”. Nearly a century later, what are the precepts of the author of the General Theory worth?
The upward trend in nominal wages continued in January, with contractual wages scheduled to rise by 3.2% y/y, a record since 1992. However, the real wages index fell sharply to -1.8% y/y in January (-2.1 pp), its lowest level since March 2024. At the same time, the unemployment rate was stable at 2.5%.
Manufacturing PMIs rebounded in February, returning to their average level of Q4 2024 (50.2 for the NBS index and 50.8 for the Caixin index). In services, the PMIs remain below their Q4 level but are above the expansion threshold (50 for the NBS index and 51.4 for the Caixin index). The latest activity data confirm this reassuring but rather lacklustre performance: growth in industrial production slowed in January-February after accelerating in December, but held steady at almost 6% y/y. The slowdown in growth in production in services was more marked (+5.6% y/y in January-February, vs. +6.3% in Q4).
After a good start to the year, Chinese economic growth will slow down in 2025 due to still weak domestic demand and the effects of the upcoming protectionist shock on exports. China has tools at its disposal to respond to President Trump’s new tariff plans, even though its room for manoeuvre to offset the effects of rising tariff barriers with a depreciation of the yuan and a drop in export prices has narrowed compared to 2018. The authorities will continue to ease their monetary and fiscal policies in the short term to stimulate activity and boost private consumption, and try to support a rebalancing of China’s economic growth model.
Economic growth forecasts for the fiscal year 2024/2025, which ends on 31 March, have been revised significantly downwards. The outlook for the next three years could also be downgraded unless the government and the private sector significantly increase their investment. However, the international economic climate is not conducive to either domestic or foreign investment, even if the direct impact of a potential increase in US tariffs on Indian economic growth would be limited. The recent downward pressure on emerging currencies has not spared the Indian rupee, and the depreciation trend is likely to continue, especially as the new Governor of the Central Bank seems to be focusing on supporting economic growth rather than currency stability.
South Korea's economic growth slowed throughout 2024, with limited prospects for a rebound. The political crisis and unprecedented government instability in the country are likely to result in a marked slowdown in domestic demand. The outlook for the export sector (mainly semiconductors) will depend in part on the trade policy adopted by the new US administration. South Korea is not directly targeted by tariff measures for the time being, but the resulting upheaval in value chains will adversely affect exports. Economic policy will remain accommodative: the Central Bank and the interim government have already proposed support measures, but the stimulus will not be enough to significantly boost growth, which is likely to continue to slow in 2025.
GDP growth remained robust in 2024 and the outlook for 2025 is favourable. Consumer spending is expected to remain strong, but investment is expected to slow. Monetary easing by the central bank is expected to be constrained by pressures on the rupiah, while real interest rates - already high - have risen further. In fiscal terms, the government is expected to favour its social policy over capital expenditure. This will impact economic growth in the short and medium term. Exports are expected to suffer from the Chinese economic slowdown. In addition, although modest, the direct impact of a potential increase in US tariffs could also have a negative impact on the Indonesian economy.
The Vietnamese economy posted strong growth of 7.1% in 2024. The conditions for this success could continue on into 2025: the export sector is benefiting from buoyant global demand for electronic goods and is continuing to increase its production capacities thanks to FDI; the property sector is recovering from the 2022-2023 crisis; private consumption is likely to increase further; and the government has some room for manoeuvre for increasing its spending and investment. However, Vietnam’s economic outlook is also exposed to high downside risks. Firstly, a strong dollar and unchanged interest rates in the US pose a risk of capital outflows, and pressures on the dong and external liquidity would then constrain monetary policy
According to the Jibun Bank PMI survey, the Japanese economy has started 2025 in different directions. The manufacturing PMI fell to 48.7 in January (-0.9 pp, the lowest since March 2024), against a backdrop of a wider deterioration in production and new orders. By contrast, the services PMI accelerated according to the flash estimate, with Business Activity rising from 50.9 to 52.7.
Chinese economic growth accelerated in Q4 2024 (+1.6% q/q and +5.4% y/y), driven by strong export performance and a recovery in private consumption. These supporting factors should persist in early 2025, but economic growth will then resume its downward trend. Domestic demand is likely to remain fragile and the rise in US tariffs will be a significant negative shock to exports.
The Japanese economy continues to be characterised by weak growth, which slowed in Q3. The positive momentum in inflation and wages is in line with the Bank of Japan's objectives. This picture should enable the Bank to continue its gradual monetary tightening. However, domestic political developments (general elections resulting in a loss of political strength for the government), as well as external ones (Donald Trump's victory) are not helping stability.
The Japanese economy slowed down in the third quarter, with GDP growth declining to +0.2% q/q (-0.3 pp) – a pace that is expected to continue in the fourth quarter. However, it is worth highlighting the acceleration in private consumption (+0.9% q/q, +0.2 pp). Conversely, investment figures were negative, both for the residential component (-0.1% q/q, -1.5 pp) and the non-residential component (-0.2% q/q, -1.1 pp). The largest negative contribution (-0.4 pp) came from net exports, with growth in imports (+2.1% q/q) significantly exceeding the exports one (+0.4% q/q).
In China, economic policy has taken a firmly expansionary turn since late September. This has given a boost to activity, which is expected to strengthen further in the very short term. However, over 2025 as a whole, economic growth will continue to slow. The constraints weighing on domestic demand persist, as the adjustments in the property sector are not yet complete, private sector confidence remains fragile and households are waiting for conditions in the labour market to improve. In addition, the risks to growth have increased with the election of Donald Trump. China will be able to respond to new US customs barriers in various ways, ranging from retaliatory measures to depreciating its currency and continuing to re-route its trade flows
The difficult recovery in economic activity experienced over the past two years reflects all of the constraints on the Hong Kong economy. Monetary policy, which must follow the United States' monetary policy, was restrictive until September 2024, with particularly painful consequences, as inflation in Hong Kong remained moderate and domestic demand, conversely, needed support. The economic cycle is much more in sync with mainland China's economic cycle. In the very short term, economic growth is expected to accelerate, supported by ongoing monetary easing and the expected strengthening of Chinese demand. In the medium term, Hong Kong’s prospects hinge on its continued economic and financial integration with mainland China.
Indian economic growth slowed in the first quarter of the current fiscal year and leading indicators suggest that it will stand at 6.9% over the fiscal year as a whole (vs. 8.2% last year). There are a number of risks to GDP growth, but they remain moderate. Apart from rising inflationary pressures, which could delay the expected monetary easing in December, the slowdown in foreign demand is the main risk. Weakening Chinese demand, in particular, may hinder the development of India’s manufacturing sector, which is already undersized due to competition from Chinese consumer and capital goods at increasingly competitive prices. While India’s growth is the highest among emerging countries, it clearly cannot supplant China as the engine of global growth
Economic growth remains solid, but it is expected to slow down in 2025. Due to its very open economy, Malaysia is more vulnerable to the slowdown in China than India or Indonesia. In addition, tensions between the United States and China could make it more complicated to implement its New Industrial Master Plan, a key pillar in the country’s efforts to revitalise growth. The authorities have limited room for manoeuvre in order to support the economy. The Central Bank of Malaysia is expected to leave its key interest rates unchanged over the next six months, unlike other central banks in Asia. Inflation risks are on the upside due to the abolition of energy subsidies and wage increases. In addition, fiscal consolidation, which began two years ago, is hurting investment spending.
Activity indicators for October showed encouraging signs of accelerating growth. The support policy measures implemented by the authorities are finally beginning to bear fruit. However, the improvement is not widespread, as deflationary pressures persisted and credit growth continued to weaken.
The economic slowdown in China and the implementation of its industrial policy will have large consequences for the rest of the world. Effects will vary from country to country, depending on the transmission channels. For emerging countries, the overall impact will not be necessarily negative, notably thanks to the foreign direct investment channel, which could well change the situation. We are discussing this with Christine Peltier.
