Markets

The Philippines ranked ninth out of 142 countries in terms of gender equality, according to the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2014. As one of the top 10 countries, the Philippines keeps company with high-income Nordic...

EM FX ended last week on a firm note. We believe that the broad-based dollar rally remains intact, but we could see a period of consolidation until the interest rate backdrop becomes more positive for the dollar. The week after...

The US dollar opened broadly lower in Asia but trended higher through the first half of the European morning.  The euro peaked just above $1.0880 and fell a little more than a cent (~$1.0770) before finding a reasonable bid.  Sterling...

The Chinese economy grew by 7.4% in 2014 and expects to grow by 7.0% this year. These are impressive growth rates for any country but lower than past years’ achievements. For three solid decades, since the beginning of market reforms...

Chancellor George Osborne has unveiled his fifth budget. Fifty days before the general election, it was a more optimistic set of announcements than the UK public has become used to, and Osborne made strong claims about the economic recovery, claiming...

Challenging the dangerous imbalances in the UK economy, where the banking sector contributes 450% of nominal GDP, is imperative. But weeks ahead of a general election, no one wants to redefine the rules of the game. Challenging the dangerous imbalances...

Japan should seriously consider joining the new China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), regardless of the scheme’s detractors within the country. Chinese President Xi Jinping first proposed the AIIB in 2013. Beijing signed up 21 founding member nations in October...

Despite recent success in generating jobs and overcoming the stresses caused by the financial crisis better than many other countries, the UK economy still has many problems. The economy faces a large balance of trade deficit, £34.8 billion in 2014,...

The final Budget before the general election is fast approaching. Separated from the election by just 50 days, it is not likely to lack political content. But the key issue remains the deficit – and how successful George Osborne can...

In July 2014, the Abe government adopted the ‘Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology’, which approved Japanese weapons exports as long as certain conditions are met. Based on this new, less restrictive policy on weapons exports Japan...

The British economy has not been a pretty sight in recent years. GDP per capita was 15.8% lower in 2014 than we would expect from historical pre-2008 trends. Austerity has certainly played a role in this poor performance, but is...

Recent events have reignited separatist conflict in the Philippines. Recent events have reignited separatist conflict in the Philippines. In the early hours of 25 January 2015, commandos of the police Special Action Force (SAF) set out to capture or kill...

Indonesia’s Natuna Islands could become yet another security flashpoint in the South China Sea. The islands’ proximity to the disputed areas in the South China Sea, and isolation from Jakarta, makes it one of Indonesia’s most vulnerable regions. Any effective...

Lest we be too quick to forget whence we came, America is now 9-months into lower gasoline prices, which started their swoon the week of June 30, 2015 from a lofty national average just under $3.70, tumbling almost every subsequent...

Bank Indonesia (BI) surprised everyone when it eased monetary policy at its February meeting. Moving into line with global trends, it cut the policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 percent, even though analysts had predicted no change....