Markets

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...

World oil prices are falling precipitously. For an oil exporter like Malaysia, that is definitely bad news. Unless the country can diversify its economy, it may find it difficult to navigate its way through the economic challenges it faces on...

The US dollar is trading with a slightly heavier bias as the last minute position adjustment takes a toll. The dollar-bloc and Scandi's are doing somewhat better and sterling is a few ticks higher, while the euro and yen are...

China’s wine industry has exploded in recent years, with the number of wineries more than doubling over the past decade, propelling the country past Australia to become the world’s 7th-largest producer. What is driving this fast-paced growth and is the...

As we count down the days and now the hours towards the beginning of 2015, what preoccupies most soothsayers of the outlook for the global economy in the coming year is the shape of the Chinese economy. Nudging the United...

George Orwell once observed ‘Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible’. Not long ago, many in the West declared that China would soon be the number one economy in the world.But in the past two...

The failure of Greek Prime Minister Samaras to secure sufficient votes in the third and final parliamentary attempt to select a new president has sparked a sell-off in European stocks and peripheral bonds.  Up until now, the contagion from Greece...

We identify six key issues for investors in the holiday-shortened week ahead.  We identify six key issues for investors in the holiday-shortened week ahead. 1.  The recent string of US economic data showed not only an upward revision in Q3 GDP...

In thin trading conditions, the major currencies are little changed.  The euro is straddling the $1.22 area.  It has held above the low seen earlier this week near $1.2165.   Since the low, the reaction high has been limited to...