SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asia’s major economies are set for a modest slowdown in coming months, while next year’s growth prospects hinge on how quickly inflation cools at home and demand recovers abroad, a Reuters poll showed.

Economists have trimmed their 2011 and 2012 growth forecasts for China, India, and a handful of the other economies in the region since the last quarterly poll of Asian countries excluding Japan, conducted three months ago.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asia’s emerging market central banks will need to keep ratcheting up interest rates well after inflation peaks to prevent higher prices from seeping into corners of the economy where they are much harder to dislodge.

Two months after global oil prices began to subside from a spike fed by Middle East unrest, the worst appears to be over for China, Indonesia, and a handful of other Asian economies that struggled to contain inflation this year.

SINGAPORE, July 11 (Reuters) – Asia’s emerging market
central banks will need to keep ratcheting up interest rates
well after inflation peaks to prevent higher prices from seeping
into corners of the economy where they are much harder to
dislodge.

Two months after global oil prices began to subside from a
spike fed by Middle East unrest, the worst appears to be over
for China, Indonesia, and a handful of other Asian economies
that struggled to contain inflation this year.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The second-half economic recovery that many prognosticators predict assumes Japan’s quake-hit factories regain near-normal functioning, oil prices remain subdued and consumer spending rebounds.

The first two factors appear to be in place. Consumption is the missing ingredient. Demand looks sluggish throughout most of the advanced economies, as evidenced by a string of weak retail sales readings from the United States, Germany and Britain.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Reserve-rich Asia can afford to turn on the government spending taps should a recent bout of sluggish economic growth deteriorate into a deeper downturn.

For countries counting on exports for growth — in other words, most of Asia — overseas demand over the next couple of months may look as shaky as it did in May and June.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Reserve-rich Asia can afford to turn on the government spending taps should a recent bout of sluggish economic growth deteriorate into a deeper downturn.

For countries counting on exports for growth — in other words, most of Asia — overseas demand over the next couple of months may look as shaky as it did in May and June.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Reserve-rich Asia can afford to turn on the government spending taps should a recent bout of sluggish economic growth deteriorate into a deeper downturn.

For countries counting on exports for growth — in other words, most of Asia — overseas demand over the next couple of months may look as shaky as it did in May and June.

JAKARTA (Reuters) – The uneasy peace between the United States and China may give way to worsening tensions as their economies cool, and the rest of Asia is watching warily for fear of getting squashed in the middle if the world’s two biggest economies clash.

Concern about a breakdown in U.S.-China ties was a common thread running through the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Jakarta, which brought together hundreds of government officials, business leaders and academics.

JAKARTA (Reuters) – The uneasy peace between the United States and China may give way to worsening tensions as their economies cool, and the rest of Asia is watching warily for fear of getting squashed in the middle if the world’s two biggest economies clash.

Concern about a breakdown in U.S.-China ties was a common thread running through the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Jakarta, which brought together hundreds of government officials, business leaders and academics.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Republican lawmakers are “playing with fire” by contemplating even a brief debt default as a means to force deeper government spending cuts, an adviser to China’s central bank said on Wednesday.

The idea of a technical default — essentially delaying interest payments for a few days — has gained backing from a growing number of mainstream Republicans who see it as a price worth paying if it forces the White House to slash spending, Reuters reported on Tuesday.