Japan’s drive to revive growth may boost Southeast Asian nations as rising demand in the world’s No. 3 economy spurs orders and Japanese companies take advantage of cheap funding to invest in the region.
Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are identified by HSBC Holdings Plc and Credit Suisse Group AG to be among the biggest beneficiaries of Japanese monetary easing and a 10.3 trillion yen ($115 billion) stimulus plan by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wrapped up a tour of Southeast Asia on Jan. 18. In contrast, South Korea may suffer as a weakening yen makes its rival’s automotive and electronics exports more competitive, say Credit Suisse and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.
The wave of cheap funds “will drive Japanese companies and banks to raise investments and expand in Southeast Asia,” Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asian economics research at HSBC in Hong Kong, said in an interview. “This will spur asset prices, investment, consumption and could single handedly help these economies sustain high levels of growth in 2013.”
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