Vietnam’s Economy Performs Better than Expected in 2015


Vietnam’s economy grew at its fastest pace in five years due to such factors as record foreign investment and strong domestic demand, according to AFP. The government recorded 6.68 percent expansion for the year, surpassing expectations of 6.2 percent. The World Bank also predicts that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) could add up to 8 percent to Vietnam’s GDP over the next 20 years.

South Korea Wants It Easy to be Green


Recent headlines on the South Korean economy announced that the country’s GDP grew faster during July–September 2015 than it had over the past five years. However, there is a more important story beyond the fluctuations in regularly reported macroeconomic data that needs telling.

South Korea is quickly rising as a world leader in the creation, development and export of renewable energy technologies — widely viewed by analysts as strategic growth industries of the future.

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Categorized as South Korea

It’s Time for Sri Lanka to Focus on the Economy


The direction of Sri Lanka’s post-civil war socio-political and economic development took a pivotal turn in 2015 with the election of a new president in January and, seven months later, a new government to parliament.

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Categorized as Sri Lanka

Chinese Economy Likely to Decelerate Further in the Fourth Quarter, Albeit Moderately


China grew at 7% year-on-year in the first and the second quarter and 6.9% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2015.  This is its weakest quarterly economic performance since first quarter of 2009 according to official data, growth is likely to decelerate further – albeit moderately – in the fourth quarter (i.e. GDP growth will probably be a bit lower than 6.9% year-on-year in the fourth quarter).  Consequently, annual GDP growth will be lower than the official target of 7% in 2015.

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Categorized as China

Rising Oil, Spending Bolster U.S. Stocks


After a sharp decline at the beginning of the week, stocks surged strongly as rising oil prices and higher consumer spending indicate improvements for parts of the U.S. economy.  Inventories of U.S. crude fell, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

A new study shows that crude inventories fell by 5.9 million barrels in the week ending December 18th, which constituted a far greater move than analysts had expected, as many predicted total inventories to see a small rise from the prior week.

Oil Prices Spike

A History not Discussed without Controversy


In October 2015, the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival cancelled the launch of three books containing testimonies collected from survivors of Indonesia’s worst political genocide of the 20th century. Why is discussing history so controversial in Indonesia?

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Categorized as Indonesia

U.S. Economy Slows in Q3 despite Lower Energy Costs


Real GDP rose 2 percent in the third quarter, after rising 3.9 percent in the second quarter, a sharp deceleration that analysts expected despite lower energy costs that have failed to stimulate personal consumption. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the growth in GDP was partly due to a better-than-expected environment for investment, as inventories fell less than feared.

China Straddles Menacing Superpower and Economic Saviour


The Janus-faced nature of Xi Jinping’s China was again on show in 2015. In September, a dour-looking Xi reviewed soldiers and ballistic missiles at a military parade in Beijing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Victory Day, which marks China’s victory over Japanese aggression in World War II. A month later, a grinning Xi rode beside Queen Elizabeth in the royal carriage as Prime Minister David Cameron talked up Chinese investment in the United Kingdom.

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Categorized as China

Despite Setbacks, Japan’s Abe Perseveres


This year has been a year of resilience for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Consider what he has faced: a contentious debate over national security reforms, widespread opposition to nuclear reactor restarts, a pension record hack that played on public privacy fears, and an economy struggling to gain momentum. Despite these challenges, Abe was reelected in September to a second term as president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and thus able to continue his prime ministership, without facing a single challenger.

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Categorized as Japan

The Foreign Source of Australia’s Housing Boom May Be Overstated


House prices rose by an average of 64% in Sydney and Melbourne in the decade from 2004 to 2014. At the same time foreign investment proposals in developed real estate rose by almost tenfold. This correlation led to many anecdotal stories of Chinese buyers driving up prices and to a Parliamentary Inquiry.

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Categorized as Australia