Markets

Regardless of whether or not the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will be successfully concluded by its deadline of 31 December 2015, we should not be solely obsessing about its ability to deliver its ‘single market’ objective on time: the AEC...

Over the last week, Qatar (+3.1%), Czech Republic (+1.8%), and Poland (+1.5%) have outperformed in the EM equity space as measured by MSCI, while Russia (-10.9%), Brazil (-6.4%), and UAE (-5.8%) have underperformed. To put this in better context, MSCI...

A jacket or shirt may be reversible.  Time is unidirectional, we are taught and some things simply cannot be reversed, like a hard-boiled egg.However, science has once again pulled the rug out beneath our feet.  Earlier this week, ABC reported...

The Philippines never had it so good. But with a slowing global economy and an election coming up in 2016, what can it expect from the future? The Philippines never had it so good. But with a slowing global economy...

Entering 2015 with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power at the federal level in India, there appears to have been a metamorphosis in India’s social, political and economic environment. The BJP and its coalition was voted into power in...

State-owned banks have long dominated banking in China, but China wants to do things differently now. The Chinese government wants improve its financial sector by creating more confidence and responsiveness towards private customers. Lately, China has seen a lot of...

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to enable more women to participate in the Japanese workforce. But his policy has largely amounted to rhetoric and there has been no discussion of the impact of these policies for male employment....

The recent election of President Maithripala Sirisena heralds a golden opportunity for Sri Lanka to heal old wounds and to open up its economy — and for the West, India and even East Asian countries to re-engage.In November 2014 the...

Last week, the 0.1% met at World Economic Forum annual gathering in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos. While the official excuse to go there is to discuss and shape the global agenda – the theme dominating this year being...

The further reform of China’s state-owned enterprises has attracted a lot of attention and triggered debate since it was discussed last year at the third plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party’s 18th Central Committee (the Third Plenum). Three areas...

After a decisive election victory on 14 December, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would seem to be in an extremely sweet spot to deliver on both his main domestic and international policy agendas. After a decisive election victory on 14...

Shinzo Abe’s second term as prime minister of Japan, unlike his first, was a modest success through till 2014. But he will have to bring real and tangible outcomes for Japan and the Japanese economy if it is to succeed...

Emerging markets seem to be on a slightly better footing after a few turbulent weeks. Many EM currencies were able to appreciate against the dollar in the wake of the ECB’s QE announcement, despite most major currencies depreciating. Meanwhile, EM...

The Australian dollar depreciated significantly in the second half of 2014, losing around 14 percent of its value against the US dollar and almost as much against the Chinese renminbi. Nevertheless, the Australian dollar needs to devalue by a further...

Over the last week, Hungary (+8.8%), Russia (+7.2%), and Chile (+5.7%) have outperformed in the EM equity space as measured by MSCI, while the Philippines (-0.9%), Czech Republic (-0.6%), and UAE (-0.1%) have underperformed.  To put this in better context,...