Economics

The dynamics at work in ASEAN are an underâ€appreciated but crucial component of the Asia Pacific’s geoâ€political equation. Understanding these dynamics offers insights for policymakers reviewing the United States’ rebalance to Asia. With more than 600 million people, the ten-nation...

The US dollar has yet to stabilize against the euro and sterling, although it has steadied against the dollar-bloc currencies and yen.  The euro bid through the $1.10 level on the back of stronger month supply growth and the first...

The Senate Finance Committee is currently considering a trade bill that would extend “fast-track” negotiating authority to the president while also demanding a larger role for Congress than it has taken in the past. The Senate Finance Committee is currently...

The relief operation is underway in Nepal – under extremely difficult circumstances. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play a crucial role in disaster management in the 21st century – and this will be especially true in Nepal following the devastating recent earthquake. The...

The European Commission has issued a statement of objection to Russian energy giant Gazprom, formally accusing it of abusing its dominant market position in the central and Eastern European gas market, in violation of EU competition law. The European Commission has issued...

We are at the beginning of a second big transition. Our economies, our work and our lives will change hugely as we slowly adjust to the new demands of a technological age that could go one of two ways: towards...

For centuries, the Chinese state has governed its distant ethnic frontiers with both carrot and stick. In the past, emperors proffered ‘imperial grace’ (Ä“n) for those ‘barbarians’ willing to submit (at least nominally) to Chinese dominion, while reserving the right...

The US corporate earnings season is almost half over.  Fears that the US S&P 500 would report the first decline in income since 2009 have eased. One of the key reasons is that operating margins appear to have improved more...

The US dollar remains on the defensive even after both Japan and the UK disappoint.  Japan reported an unexpected 1.9% decline in March retail sales. The UK's initial estimate of Q1 15 GDP was 0.3%, below expectations for a 0.5%...

Over the past decade, many developing countries have made substantial progress toward reducing poverty, and remittances sent by migrant workers have hugely contributed to this progress. Over the past decade, many developing countries have made substantial progress toward reducing poverty,...

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has become part of Xi Jinping’s ‘Chinese Dream’ of national rejuvenation. The United States’ failure to block other developed economies from joining the AIIB seems to have brought this part of the ‘Chinese dream’...

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s weeklong visit to the United States this week and his speech on Wednesday to a joint session of the US Congress represent an unusual opportunity for Japan’s diplomacy. Abe is the first Japanese prime minister...

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are negotiating with their coalition partner, Komeito, to introduce legislation recognising a limited exercise of collective self-defence. There is rising anxiety about Japan’s neighbours’ perception of this endeavor and...

With several central bank meetings this week, including the Federal Reserve, and Q1 GDP figures from the UK, US and Spain, and month-end position adjustments, ahead of the May 1 holiday, it promises to be an eventful week.  However, it...

A disappointing string of data challenges ideas that the US economy had returned to a growth path that was sufficiently strong enough to permit the Federal Reserve to begin normalizing monetary policy. This will culminate with the first estimate of...