Economics

Behind the 7th Sino-US Strategic & Economic Dialogue In the recent S&ED between China and the U.S, the most intriguing developments involved not just the formal bilateral progress, but also those undercurrents that illuminate the potential future of the dialogue....

In a recent address to the Economic Society of Australia, the Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens hit the nail on the head when he remarked, “monetary policy alone can’t deliver everything we need and expecting too much from it can...

A week ago, the UK reported a largest than expected rise in average weekly earnings for the three months through April.  The 2.7% rise is the highest in four years. It followed a revised 2.3% increase in March, originally reported...

In a recent East Asia Forum article, Sam Bateman criticised a decision by the US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter to develop military plans for more assertive freedom of navigation (FON) operations in the South China Sea (SCS). Specifically, Bateman...

Another make it or it break it deadline passes in Greek negotiations and the markets take it in stride.  Indeed, the relatively calm markets conceal the angst below the surface.  After nine Euro group meetings since the election of the...

The Federal Reserve offers custodial services for foreign central banks.  Precisely which countries use these services is confidential as is who patronizes a commercial bank's services. There was a large draw down in the Treasuries the Fed holds for foreign...

Despite its calls for ‘more Jakarta and less Geneva’, the Abbott government appears to have fallen into a passive approach to multilateral diplomacy. Moreover, as tensions in the South China Sea ratchet up, the Australian public deserves to know more...

The US dollar has been trending gently higher against the major currencies over the past 3-4 sessions but is trading heavier today.  It is largely within yesterday's trading range.  The two main drivers remain Greece and the US economy. The...

Last summer, a debate over the historically ho-hum Export-Import Bank of the United States (aka Ex-Im Bank) simmered over and went mainstream, as a growing chorus of Republicans and many companies demanded its dismantling. Like many government agencies, the Ex-Im...

In our rapidly changing world, new global contradictions are emerging rapidly. Today, the biggest global contradiction is this: the demand for global leadership has never been greater but the supply seems to be diminishing. In our rapidly changing world, new...

In 2010-2012, we thought speculation of a Greek exit were over the top.  Some bookmakers suggested the odds that Greece would leave were as high as 70%.  As the crisis flared up again in late 2014, and here in 2015,...

Indonesia’s experience within ASEAN has been that leadership in a world of sovereign states must be earned and nurtured, not imposed at will. Indonesia’s experience within ASEAN has been that leadership in a world of sovereign states must be earned...

Japanese policymakers received a shock when they heard in late March that 57 countries, including some of the United States’ closest allies, had applied to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). While China has steadily been on the...

The South China Sea has become a flashpoint for conflict between China and some of its ASEAN neighbours, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam. China’s recent land reclamation around the Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands has also strained relations between...

It is easy to become quite cavalier when analyzing economic performance of various countries to think of them as existing in bubbles. However, as anyone with a moderate level of economic understanding and experience reading markets knows, trade is a...