Markets

Regionalism in Asia led by global value chains (GVCs) and free trade agreements (FTAs) has increasingly put the spotlight on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As one of Asia’s success stories in internationalization, Malaysia offers interesting insights. Drawing on research...

Vietnam will begin 2015 on a fairly sound economic footing. The national economy has largely recovered from Hanoi’s ill-advised efforts to mitigate the impact of the 2009 Great Recession. That sobering experience exposed structural weaknesses which, left unfixed, could condemn...

The story of 2014 in India was the story of Narendra Modi’s rise from chief minister of Gujarat to prime minister of India. Son of a tea stall owner and once associated with the 2002 massacre of Muslims on his...

2015 might be a very important year for many economies across the globe. Last quarter of 2014, saw many fluctuations in the economic indicators of different countries. While US ended 2014 with a good performance, Russia faced double trouble with...

Oil prices are tumbling with Brent approaching $51 and WTI near $48.5.  This follows yesterday's announcement by Saudi Arabia of deeper discounts next month for the US and Europe.  This was a further confirmation that it adheres to its market...

EM has started the year by extending many of the trends present towards the end of last year. The ruble is on the defensive along with Brazilian assets, while the Shanghai Composite continues to rally. The continued fall in oil...

It became clear in 2014 that Xi Jinping was the dominant leader of China. Even President Obama recognised this at the end of the year, stating that no recent Chinese leader had consolidated power as quickly as Xi since Deng...

Two years before an election was due, President Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka has called an early poll for 8 January, seeking an unprecedented third term in office made possible by his revision of the constitution. Two years before...

Sri Lanka’s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has called a snap mid-term election on 8 January 2015, two years ahead of schedule, in a bid to win a third term in office. What was largely expected to be a one-horse race has...

In very early Asian markets, participants responded to Draghi's sovereign bond buying hints, and Merkel's seeming willingness to let Greece leave EMU by sending the euro to a low of $1.1865, according to Bloomberg.  The thin conditions exacerbated the move,...

The investment climate is being shaped by four forces:1.  De-synchronized business cycle with the US ahead of the pack2.  The prospects of sovereign bond purchases by the ECB, amid political uncertainty sparked by Geece's snap election3.  The continued drop in...

India had a landmark year in 2014. A new political, cultural and economic reality is emerging. India had a landmark year in 2014. A new political, cultural and economic reality is emerging.The trend of political fragmentation that started with the...

China is working to make the international order suit its interests better and put China front and centre in global affairs. Xi Jinping’s new diplomatic focus on multilateral diplomacy includes giving new profile to existing arrangements where China can lead,...

An embarrassing fact about ASEAN governments avoided in public policy discussions is that the capacity of most ASEAN states is quite limited — much more limited than they, and the international community, generally wish to admit. Until there is recognition...

Japan’s declining population is a serious problem. Unless the nation can devise policy strategies either to arrest the decline or deal effectively with its impacts, in the long run Japan will find its path to sustained economic growth blocked. Japan’s...