February, 2022

• 21 February

  Singapore won’t displace Hong Kong as finance hub

  

  Hong Kong’s rapid isolation from the rest of the world has business executives, investors and expatriates asking whether Singapore will overtake the territory as Asia’s main financial center. If that’s the ambition, there’s a lot of ground to cover. A more realistic outcome is that the two locations work as complements, rather than competitors for global talent. The situation in ...

  Read More »
• 21 February

  Meta scandals don’t bode well with CEO

  

  When Mark Zuckerberg described the metaverse last year, he conjured an image of harmonious social connections in an immersive virtual world. But his company’s first iterations of the space have not been very harmonious. Several women have reported incidents of harassment. I had several uncomfortable moments with male strangers on social apps run by both Meta Platforms Inc (formerly known ...

  Read More »
• 21 February

  Higher mortgage rates worsen housing market

    The surge in mortgage rates we’ve seen this year is making an already dysfunctional housing market even more uncertain. Higher lending costs will make housing less affordable, which should cool demand and at least slow price increases. But the more significant impact in a market struggling with historically-low levels of inventory is what it means for supply. Unfortunately, at ...

  Read More »
• 21 February

  No Brexit bonanza in UK’s insurance reforms

    Boris Johnson’s Conservative government, desperate to show the benefits of quitting the European Union, has called for an “investment big bang”: He’ll clear regulatory obstacles so that pension funds and insurers can channel tens of billions of additional pounds into modernising Great Britain and raising living standards. But the upcoming overhaul of capital rules for insurers has little to ...

  Read More »
• 21 February

  Thailand’s economy grows faster than expected in Q4

  

    Bloomberg Thailand’s economy grew faster than expected last quarter, buoyed by rising exports and tourist arrivals, firming its recovery as it faces risks this year from inflation and Omicron variant. Gross domestic product during October-December rose 1.9% from a year ago, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said. That beat the median growth estimate of 0.8% in ...

  Read More »
• 21 February

  Korea exports stay resilient against Omicron headwinds

  

    Bloomberg South Korea’s early trade figures offered signs that global demand remains robust in February even as the value of shipments rose by the smallest amount in almost a year. Exports advanced 13.1% in the first 20 days of the month from the previous year, led by semiconductors and oil products, the customs office reported. Overall imports rose 12.9%, ...

  Read More »
• 21 February

  India to see normal monsoon

    Bloomberg India’s monsoon, which irrigates more than half of the country’s farmland and is critical for economic growth, is likely to be normal this year, according to private forecaster Skymet Weather Services Pvt. This could mark a fourth straight year of normal monsoon, and is important because the June-September rainy season delivers as much as 90% of India’s annual ...

  Read More »
• 21 February

  Soaring gasoline bad timing for Asian governments facing voters

  

    Bloomberg Soaring gasoline prices are fanning inflation and causing a headache for governments and central banks worldwide. In countries with elections coming up, they’re an extra headwind for the incumbents. While the US mid-terms in November are the prime example of fuel prices feeding into the political sphere, upcoming votes in Asia may also be affected. Voting is already ...

  Read More »
• 21 February

  Crisis in China’s property industry deepens

    Bloomberg Almost a year after China’s property-market debt squeeze sparked the first in a wave of defaults by developers, the industry is fighting for survival. Home sales continue to plunge and elevated borrowing costs mean offshore refinancing is off the table for many developers. Global agencies are pulling their ratings on property bonds, while a string of auditor resignations ...

  Read More »
• 21 February

  China’s provinces brace for weak revenues in hit to economy

  

    Bloomberg China’s provincial governments are bracing for a tough year, predicting income growth from taxes will slow and land sale revenue will fall, putting them under severe fiscal pressure as they try to spend more to support a faltering economy. Some local authorities are predicting their general revenue this year will be significantly weaker than an expected national economic ...

  Read More »