Economics

Three weeks after assuming office, on 22 April 2016, Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang was quoted as saying that Japan is ‘one of Vietnam’s most important cooperative partners’. The importance given to the Vietnam–Japan relationship, on both sides, has increased...

The US dollar remains under pressure.  It is off for the third day against the yen and slipped below JPY109 for the first time in a little more than two weeks.  The Nikkei struggled to cope with the foreign exchange...

The media circus surrounding Donald Trump’s bid for the US presidency is briefly switching from America to the £200m reopening of a golf resort in south-west Scotland. Trump Turnberry, as it has been renamed, boasts a remodelled course and a...

A gloomy outlook is enveloping the world’s economies. There are concerns that countries are failing to sufficiently focus on long-term policy responses to reverse the decline in global growth. Some are even arguing that the global growth slowdown may be...

The South Korea–China Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which entered into effect in December 2015, has proved disappointing. The pact excludes too much economic activity and does too little to propel growth in both countries. As a result, South Korea and...

Australia, as in the past, has the potential to play a role in shaping the Asian economic cooperation agenda in a way that deepens regional economic linkages and lifts the growth potential of Asian economies. As the world’s economic gravity...

  When it comes to forecasting elections, opinion polls that are often proved wrong bombard the public. Meanwhile, the betting markets get it right every time, so when they say Hillary Clinton will score a comfortable win over Donald Trump,...

The US dollar is broadly mixed.  The main narrative of increased prospects for a Fed hike in June or July has been pushed off center stage as the market reacts to local developments as investors await from US economic data. ...

The US dollar bottomed against nearly all the major currencies on May 3.  The hawkish April FOMC minutes that began swaying opinion about the prospects for a summer rate hike were not published until two weeks later, and the confirmation...

The US dollar was mostly firmer over the past week.  There were two exceptions among the major currencies:  Sterling and the Canadian dollar. Many linked sterling's outperformance (+0.8%) to a growing sense that the UK will vote to remain in...

On 16 May 2016, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern district, Yury Trutnev, met with officials from Japanese and Russian energy and metallurgical companies. The meeting followed a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe...

In 2015, a handful of nations undertook a social experiment. Urged by groups, including the World Bank, who felt that combatting climate change required an economic incentive, these adventurous countries, and a number of states, regions, and cities, have begun...

The US dollar is winding down the week on a firm note, but still in a consolidative mode.  The euro, yen, and Australian dollar are well within yesterday's ranges while sterling and the Canadian dollar pushing through yesterday's lows. Asian...

More than half of jobs are found with the help of a social tie, whether a friend, relative or distant acquaintance. For example, a friend may tell you about a job opening at her firm or a parent may offer you...

  President Barack Obama’s trip to Asia this week highlights how a key element of his would-be legacy is hanging by a precariously thin thread: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).     President Barack Obama’s trip to Asia this week highlights how a key element of his...