Newsweek (April 30)
“Familiar alarm bells sounded in Japan this month as year-end population figures and new projections combined to paint an uncertain future for Asia’s No. 2 economy.” The latest figures show a “12th consecutive annual decline” with the nation’s population standing “at 124.94 million for the year to October, a decrease of over half a million people from 2021.” Moreover, “the working population, aged 15 to 64, fell to 74.2 million, and those above 65 reached 36.23 million—both respective records.” Japan is approaching the “point of no return.”
Tags: 124.94 million, Alarm bells, Asia, Decline, Decrease, Japan, No. 2 economy, Point of no return, Population, Projections, Records, Uncertain future
WARC (March 2)
“Experimentation and new thinking are the driving force for effective marketing in Asia.” WARC recent report finds that “brands across Asia changed and adapted their strategies post-pandemic, showing a spirit of experimentation and new thinking in order to remain relevant to consumer behaviour changes.”
Tags: Adapted, Asia, Brands, Consumer behaviour, Effective marketing, Experimentation, New thinking, Post-pandemic, Strategies, WARC
Bloomberg (September 26)
“Asian markets risk a reprise of crisis-level stress as two of the region’s most important currencies crumble under the onslaught of relentless dollar strength. The yuan and yen are both tumbling due to the growing disparity between an uber-hawkish Federal Reserve and dovish policy makers in China and Japan.”
Tags: Asia, China, Crisis, Crumble, Currencies, Disparity, Dollar, Dovish, Fed, Hawkish, Markets, Onslaught, Relentless, Risk, Stress, Tumbling, Yen, Yuan
CNN (August 12)
“Hong Kong has recorded its sharpest annual drop in population,” falling from “7.41 million people to 7.29 million, a 1.6% decrease.” Experts attribute the exodus to “strict Covid control measures and a political crackdown that have taken the shine off a financial hub long advertised as ‘Asia’s world city.’”
Tags: 1.6% decrease, Annual, Asia, Control measures, Covid, Drop, Exodus, Experts, Financial hub, Hong Kong, Political crackdown, Population, Strict
Reuters (July 21)
“Worries over a global slowdown are casting a shadow over Asia’s recovery prospects with factory activity growth slowing in Japan and Australia, keeping pressure on policymakers to support their economies while tightening monetary policy to combat inflation.”
Tags: Asia, Australia, Factory activity, Global slowdown, Inflation, Japan, Monetary policy, Policymakers, Recovery, Slowing, Support, Tightening, Worries
The Economist (July 2)
“The pecking order of financial centres is changing.” Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore are all vying as “the map of Asian financial hubs is being redrawn.” Given that, “the region’s two emerging giants, China and India, have partial capital controls,” Singapore stands to “be the main beneficiary—provided it can handle some of the downsides of being a global centre for other people’s business.”
Tags: Asia, Beneficiary, Capital controls, China, Downsides, Financial hubs, Hong Kong, India, Pecking order, Redrawn, Shanghai, Singapore
Reuters (February 27)
“International companies with exposure to Russia are girding for further Western sanctions following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.” Among the most exposed companies in Asia are Japan Tobacco, Marubeni, Mitsubishi Corporation, SBI Holdings, and Toyota.
Tags: Asia, Companies, Exposure, Girding, International, Invasion, Japan Tobacco, Marubeni, Mitsubishi Corporation, Moscow, Russia, SBI Holdings, Ukraine, Western sanctions
Washington Post (October 2)
“The commercial pipeline that each year brings $1 trillion worth of toys, clothing, electronics and furniture from Asia to the United States is clogged and no one knows how to unclog it.” The median cost of container shipping *from China to the West Coast of the United States hit a record $20,586, almost twice what it cost in July, which was twice what it cost in January.” Supply chain problems are now “expected to last through 2022.”
Tags: 2022, Asia, China, Clogged, Clothing, Commercial, Container, Cost, Electronics, Furniture, Pipeline, Record, Shipping, Supply chain, Toys, U.S., West Coast
Financial Times (July 2)
“The readings on the Tankan, widely regarded as Japan’s most reliable economic data series, suggest Asia’s only G7 economy is well-positioned for growth in the second half of the year.”
Tags: Asia, Economic data, Economy, G7, Growth, Japan, Reliable, Series, Tankan, Well-positioned
The Economist (January 30)
“No part of the world matters more to America’s interests than Asia, and no part stands to lose so much from an American retreat.” As he sets about repairing four years of Trump damage, Joe Biden will find many receptive. “None of China’s neighbours wants it to call all the military and economic shots,” but “the trick for President Joe Biden will be to restore faith in America without asking Asian countries to take its side openly against China.”
Tags: Asia, Biden, China, Damage, Economic shots, Interests, Military, Receptive, Repairing, Restore, Retreat, Trump, U.S.