Chief Economist & Political Strategist, CrossASEAN Research

Prasenjit K. Basu

PK Basu has 35 years experience covering Asia's economies and markets (equities, fixed income and currencies), including 20 years covering the global economy. He was Chief Economist (SE Asia & India) at Credit Suisse First Boston for 5 years, and Chief Asia (x-Jpn) Economist at Daiwa Securities for a similar period. Among other roles, he was global head of research at Maybank Kim Eng, Malaysia equity research head and chief ASEAN economist at Macquarie, Chief Economist at ICICI Securities, ASEAN economist and Asia sector strategist at UBS and the first chief economist at Khazanah Nasional (where he was co-head of research, and led all agri-business initiatives). PK Basu started his career in the Asia Service of WEFA (Wharton Econometrics) in Philadelphia in 1990, rising to be Director of their Asia Service in June 1994. 
PK's book, "Asia Reborn: A continent rises from the ravages of Colonialism and War to a New Dynamism" won the Tata Literature First Book Award (non-fiction) for 2018. It is the first single chronicle of the modern economic and political history of the whole of Asia (from Iraq and Turkey to Korea and Japan, and everything in between), told from an Asian perspective.

Chief Economist & Political Strategist

India-South Korea FTA 2026: What Can We Expect if It Plays Out?

India-New Zealand FTA: What Lies Beneath The "Once-In-A-Generation" Agreement?

How UAE's Exit from OPEC Will Reshapes India's Energy Sector?

India: Fiscal Deficit Set to Be Lower Despite IT and GST Cuts, Amid Strong Direct Taxes

India: CA Surplus Likely Despite US Tariffs; Tame Inflation Allows More Rate Cuts

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Macroeconomics

<ul>
<li>Fiscal deficit likely 4.2% of GDP (helped by 31.6%YoY corporate-tax growth Oct-Dec'25), with real GDP growing 8.5% (and nominal GDP 9.2%) in FY26 aided by stronger PCE growth post-GST cuts.</li>
<li>Actual deficits and government's market borrowing in FY27 will likely be much lower than official projections, so any sell-off in bonds provide a buying opportunity. </li>
<li>The EU will cut 4-26% tariffs on a slew of labour-intensive imports to zero as soon as the India-EU FTA comes into force, thereby substantially boosting those employment-intensive sectors. </li>
</ul>


Fiscal deficit likely 4.2% of GDP (helped by 31.6%YoY corporate-tax growth Oct-Dec'25), with real GDP growing 8.5% (and nominal GDP 9.2%) in FY26 aided by stronger PCE growth post-GST cuts.
Actual deficits and government's market borrowing in FY27 will likely be much lower than official projections, so any sell-off in bonds provide a buying opportunity. 
The EU will cut 4-26% tariffs on a slew of labour-intensive imports to zero as soon as the India-EU FTA comes into force, thereby substantially boosting those employment-intensive sectors. 


S&P BSE SENSEX Index (SENSEX INDEX EQUITY)

India: EU FTA, US Tariff Reductions Dovetail with Budget's Manufacturing Focus