Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy (PhD) is an economist with more than seven years research experience in regional economic integration, economic development, and public administration. His career has focused on research and project management in trade, economic development and sustainable development programs. These cover multiple scales including project, program, national and regional scales. He works extensively with the private sector, public sector, bilateral development agencies and multilateral financial institutions.
Since January 2020, he has served as a Lead Researcher at the ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, where he undertakes policy-oriented research on ASEAN’s economic integration with particular focus on ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
The new Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus could impact trade in goods and services in ASEAN economies due to increased travel restrictions and the risk of more lockdowns.
Southeast Asia economies have maintained easier monetary policies to cushion the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that prices are trending upward, they should think twice before tightening the policies.
