Markets

The Bank of Japan surprised the markets on October 31, and probably surprised itself just as much.  The BOJ meeting was initially to update macro forecasts, but it soon became clear to Governor Kuroda that inflation expectations were being slashed....

The 25th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit will be held in Naypyidaw this week back-to-back with related meetings of the East Asia Summit and other groups, bringing world leaders to Myanmar. For some of them it will be the first time in...

The Bank of Japan sent a new shock-wave through financial markets last week when Governor Haruhiko Kuroda announced another massive round of monetary expansion (Quantitative Easing or QE). The additional boost to the Japanese money supply was accompanied by a...

Emerging market assets, in general, are lacking a defined direction. The fall in commodity prices seems to be stabilizing, for now at least, but the impact of the large level shift is still to be felt globally. Meanwhile, the dollar...

The US dollar is extending the pullback seen before the weekend.  There does not appear to be shift in fundamental considerations.  The October jobs report confirmed the trend improvement in the US labor market continues, and will still most likely...

1.  The Federal Reserve upgraded its assessment of the labor market in its statement at the end of last month.  It noted that the "under-utilization of labor resources was gradually diminishing".  There was nothing in the October jobs report that...

The December 2012 election gave Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party control of both houses of the Diet as the electorate sought positive, decisive, energetic leadership out of the malaise of the past two decades. Shinzo Abe offered himself as that leader,...

On 12 November 2014, ASEAN leaders will gather in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s new capital, for their twice-yearly summit.High on the ASEAN agenda for this November’s summit is, of course, the South China Sea. Failure to achieve consensus on the subject in...

On 10 November 2014 a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will convene in Beijing, followed in rapid succession by the East Asia Summit in Naypyidaw and the G20 in Brisbane.Much of what will be said and done...

APEC leaders will meet in Beijing in November, 25 years after the APEC process was launched in Canberra in 1989. Some early hopes have been met, while others have been dashed. APEC leaders will meet in Beijing in November, 25...

1) The won-yen story is back after Vice Finance Minister Hwan stated that authorities will manage won moves in line with the yen2) Poland unexpectedly paused its easing cycle; separately, Poland wants to reduce the size of its Monetary Policy...

The race is on between the United States and China to dominate the rules-setting game for trade by being the first to be able to announce plans for a free trade area in the Pacific Rim. China hopes to use...

If the APEC meeting can agree on the proposed regional free trade plan and a reasonable implementation schedule, it would take a leap into faster regional growth and prosperity.The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on November 10-11 will take place...

Since taking office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made efforts to entice foreign investment into India and to establish closer ties with Japan. Warm diplomatic gestures between Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have garnered considerable attention, with some...

Foreign policy is a search for and an attempt to impose order on an unruly world. That task has become more difficult in recent years, with an ever-lengthening list of threats, challenges and destabilising factors. The rise of Asia in...