Markets

China’s next Five-Year Plan is due for formal approval by the National People’s Congress in March 2016.  One of the areas of focus is the role of China’s State-Owned Enterprises, generally viewed with suspicion by the West and seen within...

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s failed bid to return to power as Sri Lanka’s prime minister is seen by many as a major blow for Beijing’s growing influence in the country and the region. The outcome of August’s parliamentary elections, which...

For a long time, historical and territorial disputes plagued relations between Japan and China. So far, the frictions show no sign of abating. Instead, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has taken a nationalistic approach towards China. China has reportedly regularly...

On 27 August, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto abruptly announced his resignation from the Japan Innovation Party (JIP). Hashimoto, who founded the party, has arguably been the single most important driving force behind the JIP’s electoral success and its emergence as...

The Conservative government is introducing a bill that will restrict the right of trade unions to organise and take industrial action in the UK. It has been criticised by union leaders and politicians across the political spectrum. Here is why....

Malcolm Turnbull was all smiles after his overnight ascension to the prime ministership, but the fact is he has inherited some grim economic realities.  He said yesterday that he decided to challenge Abbott for the leadership because, among other reasons:...

Over the past 20 years, Africa has been steadily growing and is expected remain one of the fast growing regions in the near future. Central to this is entrepreneurship and the role of entrepreneurs. Over the past 20 years, Africa...

One of the lingering questions of Singapore politics over the last couple of decades has been how to measure the effectiveness the National Education program introduced to schools in the second half of the 1990s. The program was designed to...

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign has highlighted the seriousness of China’s official malfeasance. The outcome will shape a new era of China’s politics, economy and foreign policy. ‘Corruption’ covers disparate phenomena. It may mean graft, taking a tip for...

The big question these days is when the Federal Reserve will finally raise its target interest rate for the first time in almost a decade. Its monetary policy committee is meeting this week to decide whether to do just that....

Once again, EM assets are starting the week of on a soft note. Once again, EM assets are starting the week of on a soft note. This is not just any week, however, not with the FOMC looming.  The Fed’s...

Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP) is riding high in the saddle again. After a decade of slightly sagging fortunes, in which the long-ruling party’s share of the national vote slumped from over 75 percent in 2001 to barely 60 percent...

The average daily turnover in the foreign exchange market is over $5 trillion a day.  Many traders and analysts put considerable weight on market positioning.  However, it proves very elusive. The average daily turnover in the foreign exchange market is...

The latest economic figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) have fuelled the debate on the future of the Australian economy and prompted many to ask, “Will Australia go into a recession?” This question is legitimate, but off...

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has achieved remarkable economic growth, but there are a number of serious imbalances between coastal and inland regions, and between urban and rural areas. The government wants to help bridge this gap by developing...