Economics

While the UK wined and dined the Chinese leader and struck deals to build nuclear power stations, the Americans were defying China’s aggressive expansionism in the South China Sea. The British strategy has angered the US and it could cause...

South Asian states established the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in 1985 to enhance a peaceful co-existence. SAARC includes eight member countries, namely Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan and Bhutan. According to its charter, the...

The upcoming general elections in Myanmar raise the question of religion’s role in democratisation processes. Previously Buddhism has been an important force in favour of democracy, but in the 2015 election campaign strong Buddhist forces are supporting the military-aligned Union...

Fewer buyers are interested in American-made goods even as factories find it more expensive to hire workers. Factory goods saw declining demand, with new orders down 1% in September after falling 2.1% in August, according to the Commerce Department. That...

Wednesday may begin slowly in Asia featuring the largest IPO of the year in the form of Japan Post, but it may very well prove to be one of the most important days of the month. Caixin's service and composite...

The concept “financial inclusion” in mainstream business and development circles means an all-encompassing term for innovation in financial services for the poor. Financial inclusion is part of an important economic development programme to solve the lack of access to formal...

The world’s population is becoming increasingly urban. Sometime in 2007 is the turning point when city dwellers formed the majority of the global population for the first time in history. Today, the trend toward urbanisation continues: as of 2014, about...

Will increasing economic interdependence between Japan and China increase or reduce the risk of conflict? The conventional liberal wisdom is that economic interdependence between states enhances peaceful relations — as in the saying attributed to the early 19th century French...

The US-German 2-year interest rate differential (swap rate) is a useful directional guide to the euro-dollar exchange rate.  At about 105 bp, it is the highest since 2005.  The US premium had peaked in late 2004 near 185 bp.  In...

A critical driver in the foreign exchange market and the global capital markets more generally, is the continued preparation by the Federal Reserve for a rate hike, while many other central banks, including the ECB, warn investors that more accommodative...

The US dollar recorded mixed performance last week.  Consolidative technical pressure, after it spurted higher at the end of the previous week with the help of a dovish ECB and rate cuts by the PBOC, and month-end pressures dominated.  There...

Republican presidential candidates debated a range of economic issues in their third debate, from what to do about Medicare and social security to tax policy and even a brief exchange on daily fantasy sports. The moderators became part of the...

While the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership has potential to split Asia Pacific, it could be a foundation for truly free trade, along with other free trade plans in the region. While the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership has potential to split Asia Pacific,...

The Federal Reserve is leaving low interest rates in place as it sees weak job growth and moderate economic improvement throughout America. The decision by the Federal Open Market Committee comes a month after a previous decision to keep interest...

After more than five years of missed deadlines, trade ministers from the 12 participating Asia-Pacific countries that met in Atlanta finally concluded the negotiations surrounding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on 5 October 2015. So is the TPP settled? The short...