0416 GMT - Some Asia-Pacific central banks may tighten policy further this year to contain inflation and support foreign-exchange rates, S&P Global Ratings economists say in a note. Higher oil prices are likely to lift inflation modestly, while food prices could rise further due to El Nino. Meanwhile, regional currencies weakened significantly in 1H, though the depreciation pressure has abated over 3Q, they note. Still, the majority of these currencies remain weaker against the U.S. dollar than at the start of the year. In the economists' baseline outlook, they expect monetary tightening to be modest where inflation and exchange-rate pressures aren't severe. S&P expects central banks in Australia, India, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines to raise their rates by 25 basis points each in the remainder of 2026.