Markets Archives - Page 401 of 729

Can Vietnam’s Communist Party Separate Power and Politics?

Every five years, Vietnamese dare to hope that this time, the ruling Communist Party will take a chance on change.

Four successive party congresses have just kicked the ball down the road. They have redistributed positions mainly with a view to preserving factional balance. The leadership has been left deadlocked on core issues: Vietnam’s stance toward China and other powers, the state’s role in the economy and whether Party actions should be subject to review by independent judges.

Sri Lanka Turns (a good) Corner Toward the Future

It is no exaggeration to say that 2015 will be remembered as a major turning point for Sri Lanka as a nation. The Sri Lankan people made a decisive choice towards democracy and good governance, towards communal reconciliation and for moving the country back towards its traditional foreign policy orbit. It was a reassertion of the values that could make Sri Lanka the success story of South Asia.

Thailand Faces Seafood Boycott amidst Slavery Report

Calls for a boycott of Thailand’s fish and shrimp products have grown as a new report shows child slavery and human rights violations remain common in the country’s seafood industry. An in-depth report by the Associated Press detailed working conditions in which children peel shrimp for several hours for little-to-no pay alongside adults who are held in captivity and forced to work.

Australia’s Win is ISDS’s Gain

Christmas has come early for advocates of tobacco control, with tobacco giant Philip Morris’s lawsuit against Australian plain packaging legislation ruled invalid. Australia will not have to pay any damages to Philip Morris. Indeed, it is likely that there will be an order for Philip Morris to reimburse the Australian government’s costs in defending this suit.

China’s Global Leadership Litmus Test

The sixth Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held on 4–5 December 2015, set in motion a deeper pattern of exchanges with its partners that could drive economic transformation across the continent. In ‘scaling-up’ measures to ease African bottlenecks in infrastructure, skills and finance, China’s efforts are also a litmus test of its legitimacy in global leadership.

South and Central America Lead Emerging Markets Headlines

1) Argentina eliminated capital controls and allowed the peso to float, 2) Argentina also eliminated export taxes on agricultural goods that include beef, wheat, and corn, 3) Fitch joined S&P in cutting Brazil to sub-investment grade BB+ with a negative outlook, 4) Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that impeachment proceedings could move forward

Corporate Credit Crisis Worsens in U.S.

In America, investors’ concern over the prospect of defaults that could emerge in the corporate credit world, which has swollen in value by trillions of dollars since the financial crisis, rose this year.

Thailand’s Democracy, We Hardly Knew Ye

This year was a year of stillness in Thailand, at least in the political realm. The military staged a coup that ousted Yingluck Shinawatra’s elected government in May 2014. Throughout 2015, the military regime of General Prayuth Chan-ocha — Thailand’s current prime minister — promised a number of projects that claimed to put Thailand back on the democratic track. However, these promises proved to be empty.

Two major events in 2015 in particular served to question the sincerity of the junta in its endeavor to reform Thailand.

Turkish Economy Improves amid Russian Sanctions

According to government data, the economy grew 4.0 percent in 2015, the fastest pace since 2014, surpassing analyst expectations, according to AFP. The good news may prompt the central bank to raise rates unless Russian sanctions hamper economic progress. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promises such measures as pension reform, increasing the minimum wage and fostering a suitable business climate.

Are Chinese Monopolies Merging to be Competitive?

China’s state monopolies survive alongside a cutthroat private sector.