Institutional Investor (April 17)
“Asean countries are resisting today’s turbulence in emerging markets thanks to reforms taken in the wake of the late ‘90s crisis.” To be sure there are concerns, such as China’s slow down, “yet most investors believe the positives outweigh the potential negatives across most of the region.” This confidence is symbolized by Japanese foreign direct investment. “According to Singapore’s DBS Bank, Japan increased its FDI in Asia by $40 billion in 2013, and fully 42 percent of the country’s FDI is now in Southeast Asia—Considerably more than in China.”
Tags: Asean, Asia, China, Crisis, Emerging markets, FDI, Investors, Japan, Positives, Singapore, Slow down, Turbulence
Forbes (March 13)
“Like Iceland in its heyday, Singapore’s economic stability and vitality – on the surface at least – has made it the envy of the world at a time when most Western economies are languishing with feeble growth, and high rates of unemployment and poverty.” And, just like Iceland, the Switzerland of Asia will suffer when its economic bubble is punctured. In the meantime, “Singapore’s bubble economy may continue inflating for several more years if the U.S. Fed Funds Rate and SIBOR continue to be held at such low levels.”
Tags: Asia, Bubble, Economic stability, Fed, Growth, Iceland, Poverty, SIBOR, Singapore, Switzerland, U.S., Unemployment, Western economies
Euromoney (February Issue)
Asia “is seen as the growth engine for private banks, but it is not without its trials.” As regulation increases, costs rise and competition heats up, industry “consolidation among private banks in the region is inevitable.”
Tags: Asia, Banks, Competition, Consolidation, Costs, Growth engine, Industry, Private banks, Regulation
Washington Post (January 11, 2014)
China’s ambassador to the U.S., who served as ambassador to Japan from 2007 to 2009, writes “Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent homage at the Yasukuni war shrine deeply disturbed people in China and much of Asia. The dispute surrounding his actions is about more than symbolism; it goes to the heart of his intentions for Japan’s future and his willingness to build an atmosphere of trust, respect and equality in East Asia.”
Tags: Ambassador, Asia, China, Dispute, East Asia, Equality, Future, Intentions, Japan, Respect, Shinzo Abe, Shrine, Symbolism, Trust, U.S., War, Willingness, Yasukuni
Bloomberg (January 7, 2014)
A war of words has been playing out in London’s Daily Telegraph where the ambassadors from China and Japan have been “using wildly undiplomatic language to characterize” each other’s countries. In op-ed pieces, they both, in turn, accused the other’s country of being “Lord Voldemort.” While the Harry Potter jibes seem comical, “the exchange is a troubling sign, and one that raises questions about whether commercial ties will be enough to prevent Asia’s two big powers from sliding toward outright conflict.”
Tags: Ambassadors, Asia, China, Commercial ties, Conflict, Daily Telegraph, Harry Potter, Japan, Language, London, Lord Voldemort, Undiplomatic, War
New York Times (December 31, 2013)
“The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is moving to lift Japan’s ban on the export of weapons…. It is doubtful that Japan or other Asian nations can resolve the many differences in the region by enhancing their military capabilities, which only aggravates a futile arms race.”
Tags: Abe, Arms race, Asia, Ban, Export, Government, Japan, Military capabilities, Weapons
The Dallas Morning News (November 21, 2013)
“From Europe, from Asia, from Latin America, they’re here to be the eyes of their nations, here from places like Serbia, Germany, Spain and Japan. Five decades have passed, but even beyond America, the Kennedy charisma still charms, the mystery still intrigues.” Over 900 members of the press from around the world requested credentials for the official 50th anniversary ceremony to be held in Dallas where JFK was fatally wounded.
Tags: Asia, Ceremony, Charisma, Charm, Dallas, Europe, Germany, Japan, JFK, Kennedy, Latin America, Mystery, Press, Serbia, Spain, U.S.
Los Angeles Times (November 6)
“President Obama is slowly extricating the U.S. from its Bush-era fixation on the Middle East. But he is turning his attention in the wrong direction. Europe, not Asia, should be his main focus.”
Institutional Investor (October Issue)
“Atsushi Saito has reinvigorated the Japanese exchange world with a merger and a technology overhaul. Now comes the hard part: winning back market share in Asia.” Following the merger of the Tokyo and Osaka exchanges, the Japan Exchange Group ranks third behind only the NYSE Euronext and Nasdaq OMX. “JPX now controls more than 90 percent of all equity-and derivatives-trading volume in Japan.” Yet, “despite its lead in listed companies, JPX trails in foreign listings. It’s also weak in terms of options, futures contracts and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), compared with the big U.S. exchanges”
Tags: Asia, Atsushi Saito, Derivatives, Equities, ETFs, Futures, IT, Japan, JPX, Market share, Merger, Nasdaq OMX, NYSE Euronext, Options, Osaka, Tokyo, Trading volume, U.S.
Chicago Tribune (October 8)
“President Barack Obama’s decision to skip a trip to Asia … was understandable given the circumstances, but it also has consequences. This is a crucial moment in America’s negotiations for free trade with Asia, and Obama is 10,000 miles away from the action.”
Tags: Asia, Circumstances, Consequences, Free trade, Negotiations, Obama, U.S.
