Markets
Maintaining South Korea’s Middle-Power Status
Are South Korea’s relations with China and Japan warming? Are South Korea’s relations with China and Japan warming?During the ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Myanmar in November, South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye proposed a trilateral summit with China and Japan....
Reasons for Adjustments to China’s Monetary Policy
Developments in the coming days will likely push the People's Bank of China into easing monetary policy the near-term. Many have been looking for a follow up move since the PBOC surprised the market on November 21 by cutting interest...
What’s Up? – in the Emerging Markets
EM currencies remain soft ahead of the FOMC meeting Wednesday. The Fed is widely expected to modify the language in its forward guidance, which would be consistent with the first rate hike that is expected around mid-2015. This would be...
The Fed Meets, Oil Prices Plunge, Abe Wins and Greece is the Word
The fundamental issue confronting investors is about supply and demand. In recent weeks, as energy prices and other industrial commodity prices fell, investors focused on supply. The stimulative effect of falling prices and the likely policy response by some major...
The AEC’s December 2015 Deadline – Too Soon?
In 2007, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc adopted the goal of creating an integrated economic region—termed the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)—by December 2015. However, concerns have been expressed that the regional integration project’s 2015 deadline will...
China-Philippine South China Sea Dispute Approaches a Critical Point
The ongoing disputes between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea are about to reach a critical point. In January 2013 the Philippines activated procedures under Article 287 and Annex VII of the 1982 UN Convention on the...
Agriculture Reforms Unlikely to Come from Japan’s LDP
Only one party contesting this week’s Japanese election is advocating agricultural reform and it is not the LDP. Only one party contesting this week’s Japanese election is advocating agricultural reform and it is not the LDP.The party in question is...
China’s Ambition versus Reality in the Digital Age
In February 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping was appointed Chair of the Central Cybersecurity and Informatization Leading Group, an agency which coordinates China’s cybersecurity and ‘informatisation’ policies. The move reflected deep dissatisfaction within the leadership of the pace of innovation...
A Review of the Emerging Markets
1) Indonesia’s recently elected President Jokowi is facing his first major popular challenge2) Turkey raised the daily dollar auction amount from $20 mln to $40 mln3) There are signs of some growing concern over currency weakness in Mexico 4) Brazil...
Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Should Address Structural Reforms
The old growth engines of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are decelerating. The new ones are predicated on deeper economic ties with China.Recently, the governing Kuomintang suffered a landslide defeat in local elections in Taiwan, China; the worst electoral setback...
A 2014 Health Report on BRICS
In 2001, the term BRIC was coined by Jim O'Neill, formerly with Goldman Sachs, who had used the acronym in his thesis on emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China. With inclusion of South Africa in 2010, BRICS was...
Calls for Abe to Raise Japan’s Consumption Tax
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the lower house of the Diet on 21 November and called a snap general election on 14 December. At the same time, Abe announced that he would postpone the second hike of the consumption...
Joko Widodo’s Great Opportunity for Indonesian Economic Policy Reform
Economic performance in post-Suharto Indonesia has been inferior to that achieved during the previous three decades, with economic growth slower and income inequality increasing. With the recent election of a new president, now is a good time to focus on...
Will Japan Seize a Demographic Opportunity?
Japan is ageing; shrinking population will cause serious problems for the country throughout the 21st century. Although the fertility rate has recovered to 1.39, this is still very low by international standards. Current official projections estimate that Japan’s present population...
U.S. Policy Supports Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea
The South China Sea is not the central strategic element in the overall US–China relationship. It was clearly not a centrepiece of the November 2014 Obama–Xi summit in Beijing. Climate change, North Korea, Iran, Taiwan, trade, intellectual property theft and...
