Asia
Escalating trade tensions temper 4 in 5 Chinese CFOs' optimism for 2019: report
Escalating trade tensions temper 4 in 5 Chinese CFOs' optimism for 2019: report
More than half of CFOs have already been hit by tariffs.
Japan export growth slowed to 0.1% in November
Declines in machinery exports offset growth in transport equipment and manufactured goods.
APAC dominates global IPO activity with US$97.1b worth of deals in 2018
It accounted for five of the top ten exchanges globally by proceeds.
China's robust crude appetite may be a boon for exporters in 2019
Crude oil imports surged 15% YoY to a record 42.7 million tonnes in November.
Japan's 2019 budget deficit to worsen to 3.8% of GDP as consumption takes hit
Consumers will face higher taxes by October 2019.
Chinese railways set to grow 2.8% from 2019-2027
Public-private partnerships will help extend the 27,000 km network.
APAC's life and P&C insurance sector will remain stable in 2019: Moody's
Ageing populations will boost demand for long-term investment and health coverage.
Restoration and upgrade works may boost Japan's construction expenditure to US$61.93b
Its government will spend an additional US$26.5b to upgrade infrastructure affected by natural disasters.
Australia's GDP growth may fall to 2.5% in 2019
The weakening housing market and China's economic slowdown are to blame.
Thailand weathers currency downturn on bloated current account surplus
At 7.6% of GDP, its account surplus is amongst the strongest in the ASEAN-6.
Thailand's economy growth falls below consensus as trade war looms: Fitch Solutions
Budget cuts and social instability may also further hamper its 2019 growth.
SEA GDP growth may slow to 5% in 2019: ICAEW
Singapore and Malaysia may see the biggest GDP hit, whilst Indonesia and Philippines will be relatively unscathed.
US-China trade war will divert trade and investment to ASEAN: analyst
Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia may benefit the most.
Possible Fed pause in late 2019 bullish for ASEAN: report
The Indian rupee, Indonesian rupiah and Thai baht could outperform the rest.
India's fintech investment fall 30.1% YTD at US$1.59b
Telco One97 Communications bagged the largest deal at US$365m.
Asian banks rev up fintech partnerships to keep China's tech titans at bay
Incumbents are launching VC arms and innovation labs to avoid being outpaced.
SEA hits $12b in IPOs before last stretch of 2018
Vietnam’s IPO capital market was the top performer with $6.2b.
Commentary
‘Tokenmaxxing’ – The wrong AI race to run in Singapore
To outsmart modern fraud, we must first know the enemy
Why Singapore SMEs cannot wait for quantum cyber risk to arrive before securing data
Is Singapore's emphasis on long-term security and stability hindering purpose-driven employees?
When Singapore's agentic AI ‘chefs’ arrive, will the kitchen be ready for them?
What Singapore’s app store rules reveal about the future of online trust
Faster hiring alone will not fix construction’s productivity problem
Beyond policy: How Singapore's service sector can win at the frontline
Solving the production problem behind Singapore’s ‘pilot purgatory’
Transformation without disruption: Your Existing ERP is an accelerant to business innovation