Markets Archives - Page 542 of 782

An ‘Abenomics’ Scorecard

The December 2012 election gave Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party control of both houses of the Diet as the electorate sought positive, decisive, energetic leadership out of the malaise of the past two decades. Shinzo Abe offered himself as that leader, with Abenomics as his program. Mid-2016 brings the next elections. If things go well for Japan and Abenomics, Abe likely will continue as prime minister until those elections, and probably until late 2018 when his final LDP presidency term ends.

Clear Challenges Exist at the Next ASEAN Summit

On 12 November 2014, ASEAN leaders will gather in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s new capital, for their twice-yearly summit.

High on the ASEAN agenda for this November’s summit is, of course, the South China Sea. Failure to achieve consensus on the subject in the 2012 ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (the annual formal and regular meeting of the association’s foreign ministers) under the Cambodian foreign minister’s chairmanship caused the non-issuance of the joint communiqué, something that had never happened before — or since.

China’s Place in Asia Post-APEC

On 10 November 2014 a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will convene in Beijing, followed in rapid succession by the East Asia Summit in Naypyidaw and the G20 in Brisbane.

Much of what will be said and done at these events will implicate the tectonics of nascent global governance set in motion by China’s campaign for greater influence in Asia.

An APEC History Lesson and its Potential Future

APEC leaders will meet in Beijing in November, 25 years after the APEC process was launched in Canberra in 1989. Some early hopes have been met, while others have been dashed.

The UK could be the Fastest Growing G7 Member Despite Displaying Unsatisfying Numbers

According to the latest figures, the UK is still on track to come out on top as the G7 economy with the fastest growth this year. This says very little though considering that all of these countries are afflicted with socialistic policies that are dragging them down.

A Review of the Emerging Markets

1) The won-yen story is back after Vice Finance Minister Hwan stated that authorities will manage won moves in line with the yen

2) Poland unexpectedly paused its easing cycle; separately, Poland wants to reduce the size of its Monetary Policy Council from 10 to 7

3) The Russian central bank changed its intervention regime after it became clear that the rate hike was ineffectual

4) Politics are heating up again in Ukraine

5) Brazil released the minutes from last week’s meeting

APEC and the Trans-Pacific Partnership

The race is on between the United States and China to dominate the rules-setting game for trade by being the first to be able to announce plans for a free trade area in the Pacific Rim. China hopes to use its position as chair of APEC this year to propose that a feasibility study on a Free Trade Agreement for the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), first mooted in 2006, be pursued. In other words, negotiations towards an FTAAP would commence, for all practical purposes.

The Free Trade Challenges Facing APEC

If the APEC meeting can agree on the proposed regional free trade plan and a reasonable implementation schedule, it would take a leap into faster regional growth and prosperity.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on November 10-11 will take place amidst the rebalancing of China, the United States and the integration of Southeast Asia, which is causing substantial system friction.

Can India’s Modi Strengthen the Relationship with Japan?

Since taking office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made efforts to entice foreign investment into India and to establish closer ties with Japan. Warm diplomatic gestures between Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have garnered considerable attention, with some commentators arguing that Modi’s recent visit to Japan marks the beginning of a new Indo-Japanese relationship aimed at countering China’s growing influence in the region. Others have referred to ‘India’s pivot to Japan’ and ‘Japan’s pivot to India’.

Does U.S. Leadership Need to Change to Meet New Global Challenges?

Foreign policy is a search for and an attempt to impose order on an unruly world. That task has become more difficult in recent years, with an ever-lengthening list of threats, challenges and destabilising factors. The rise of Asia in the global system also requires a paradigm shift in thinking about global governance.

Three characteristics define the current world.