Markets

Financial markets around the world are responding to current political uncertainty in both Australia and the UK by sending stocks, bonds and currencies on a rollercoaster ride.  The far-reaching implications of Brexit caused the S&P/ASX 200 volatility index (A-VIX) to spike to...

The biggest macroeconomic challenge facing Vietnam today is sustaining growth. Most doi moi-era growth has resulted either from efficiency gains associated with the introduction of a market economy (opening domestic markets and trade, relaxing restrictions on labour movement and land...

‘Brexit’, close on the heels of the shock resignation of the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Raghuram Rajan, has triggered a great deal of market turbulence and future uncertainty for the Indian economy. What should India do...

The services sector dominates the Philippine economy. In 2015, it accounted for 59 percent of GDP and 54.5 percent of employment. In recent years the industry sector — which includes manufacturing and construction — has started to recover, growing faster...

A notable element of South Korea’s general elections in April 2016 was the hypervisibility of anti-gay political rhetoric, promulgated especially by the fledgling Christian Liberal Party (CLP). An ultra-conservative Protestant political party established in March 2016, the CLP ultimately failed...

Sterling is continuing to move lower.  It has tested the $1.3050 area in the North American morning, having been under pressure through the Asian session and the European morning.  That the UK economy is slowing down, materially, as BOE Governor...

EM and risk recovered nicely from the Brexit turmoil last week.  Yet we think markets are being too carried away with the "low rates forever" theme and are likely underestimating the capability of the Fed to tighten before 2018.  This...

Whatever its final impact, in the short-term the UK’s EU referendum will increase global economic uncertainty, market volatility and economic risk. In Africa, most scenarios will prove costly, particularly among those economies highly exposed to UK trade, investment, banking and...

What happened to the innovation debate in our lengthy election campaign? This was supposed to be the centrepiece of Australia’s transition to a more balanced and diversified economy. Instead the debate is once again about who can return the budget...

Indonesia’s parliament approved a tax amnesty bill, Korea announced KRW20 trln ($17 bln) in fiscal stimulus, Czech President Zeman said a referendum on EU and NATO membership should be held, Russia ended its tourism ban to Turkey, Brazil’s central bank...

Public debate over how best to manage the interests of foreign investors and host states has resurfaced in Australia. Most of Australia’s free trade agreements (FTAs), like those of many other Asia-Pacific economies, follow a US approach to drafting substantive...

As a country prone to natural disasters, especially earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons, Japan has a long history of disaster education. However, what does Japan’s public disaster education look like and how should it be further developed? Broadly speaking, disaster education...

In the current housing tax debate a number of studies have come out arguing that while prices will fall (by varying amounts) rents will not be affected. That rents will be unaffected is surprising and (in my view) wrong. Outside...

Some observers argue the media and some economists are exaggerating the impact of the UK vote a week ago. They talk about the petition for a second referendum. They talk about Scotland vetoing the decision to leave the EU.  They...

Prime Minister Abe is attempting to revitalise the Japanese economy after two decades of stagnant growth. In December 2012, he launched the reform program that became known as Abenomics, consisting of monetary policy aimed at reflating the economy, flexible fiscal...