Markets

The superannuation changes announced in last week’s federal budget will better target super towards its core purpose of supplementing the Age Pension. However, in such a complex area as super, appearances can deceive. Parts of the budget package may make the system...

The Indonesian government recently announced it would start to regulate app-based ride-sharing services such as Uber and Grab Taxi. This followed a large strike by taxi drivers in Jakarta to protest against the ride-sharing companies. The Indonesian government recently announced it would start to regulate...

The current slump in world commodity prices is forcing Africa to rethink its traditional dependence on raw material exports. This is why the time for African nations to lay the foundations for transitioning from extractive to learning economies is now....

Jackson Martinez, Alex Teixeira, and Ramires – formerly among Europe’s top footballers – are now the centrepiece of the Chinese Super League’s recent £200m acquisition of footballing talent. Out Jackson Martinez, Alex Teixeira, and Ramires – formerly among Europe’s top footballers – are now the...

‘Shut up!’ ‘Go to hell!’ ‘A disgrace to your race!’ These words were uttered by the leading contender in the Philippine presidential race, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, in April 2016. The first was directed at Australian and American diplomatic...

TC Winston struck Fiji on 20 February 2016, causing widespread devastation. Classed as category five, TC Winston is the strongest cyclone to have ever hit Fiji and has impacted close to 350,000 people. This comes just four years after the...

Australia’s decision to award the French firm DCNS the contract to design and build new submarines for its Navy was a controversial one. DCNS will build a scaled down conventional version of its Barracuda-class nuclear submarine with all, or most,...

It has been long recognized by the investment community that power in Turkey was concentrated in Erdogan's hands.  He enjoys incredible power in the ceremonial presidential post and brooks no rivals.  Common among authoritarian leaders is that they habitually turn...

In light of the Fed’s dovish tilt in March, the global liquidity outlook turned further in favor of EM.  As a result, EM extended the bounce off the January/February lows.  There is no clear narrative as to why EM is...

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are often thought to dominate the Chinese market, with profound implications for the global economy. The US–China Economic and Security Review Commission stated that ‘Soviet-style, top-down planning remains a hallmark of China’s economic and political system’. State-owned...

One thing that the current presidential campaign in the Philippines has highlighted is how liberal democracy Philippines-style continues to fail to deliver rule of law. The rule of law is, and has always been, at the centre of the discourse...

Many travellers’ favourite game involves finding original ways of increasing the amount of duty-free goods they bring through customs. Here in Australia, for example, we appear so fascinated by customs procedures that the reality TV show Border Security is in...

It might not be on investors' calendars, but European officials will take steps toward addressing two issues tomorrow.  First, the EC will make a preliminary recommendation of visa-free travel in the Schengen area for Turkish passport holders.  Second, the ECB...

Sri Lanka’s former pro-Chinese ‘strongman’ President Mahinda Rajapaksa was voted out of office in January 2015. The new administration, led by President Maithripala Sirisena, is committed to more ‘balanced’ major power relations. Sri Lanka’s former pro-Chinese ‘strongman’ President Mahinda Rajapaksa...

The steady state in the Asian region is growth and dynamism that requires continuous structural change and adjustment. The trajectory of China’s potential rate of growth is certainly 2 or 3 percentage points lower than it was a decade ago,...