Economy

Congress gave final approval to the largest economic package in U.S. history. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 22 to Mar. 28, US House passes a $2.2tn stimulus

Hong Kong bans gatherings of over 4 people; Trump tweets he is working with Xi

28 March 2020
A worker sprays disinfectant at a closed Kuala Lumpur market. With a prolonged coronavirus lockdown choking the economy, the Malaysian government has introduced two rounds of stimulus.
Coronavirus

Malaysia adds $53bn of coronavirus stimulus as fiscal pressure mounts

Indonesia also in tight spot while Singapore and others have wiggle room

27 March 2020
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha arrives for a cabinet meeting at Government House in Bangkok on March 24.
Politics

Thailand to declare state of emergency due to virus outbreak

Decree effective Thursday, says PM, with containment measures adjusted daily

24 March 2020
A woman wearing protective mask and gloves seen on a Mass Rapid Transit train during a movement control order in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Coronavirus

From New Delhi to Bangkok, Asia's megacities shackled

Travel bans to contain coronavirus sap region's economic lifeblood

24 March 2020
Emerging Asian currencies have nosedived against the dollar during the coronavirus crisis at investors seek the haven of the greenback. 
Economy

India, Indonesia and Thai currencies flash red in virus stress tests

Slump revives memories of 1990s Asian financial crisis

23 March 2020
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Nikkei Markets

Asian stocks decline as pandemic worsens in US, Europe

Indian equities slump more than 13% as country moves into lockdown

23 March 2020
Pedestrians in Seoul: Governments across Asia are scrambling to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus

Asia turns on the fiscal taps to cushion coronavirus impact

As crisis drags on, governments face pressure to offer even more aid

23 March 2020
Traditional Thai dancers in Bangkok on March 16. The city closed entertainment venues on March 21.
Coronavirus

Bangkok ramps up measures to contain coronavirus spread

Shopping malls, department stores, leisure facilities to close from Sunday

21 March 2020
A freeway sits almost empty in downtown Los Angeles, after California's Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an unprecedented statewide "stay at home order" directing the state's 40 million residents to hunker down in their homes for the foreseeable future during the global outbreak of coronavirus disease, in California, U.S., on March 20, 2020.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 15 to Mar. 21, New York orders millions to stay indoors

Mainland China reports zero new local cases for 3rd day; worldwide total surges

21 March 2020
Thailand could be the first new country to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership as early as in 2021.
International relations

Japan scouts more Asian players for TPP to cut China dependence

Thailand targeted as next member, with talks to start in August

21 March 2020
Thailand's central bank has cut interest rates to an all-time low.
Economy

Thailand cuts interest rates to historical low of 0.75%

Central bank moves in emergency meeting and calls on lenders to help

21 March 2020
A Maserati dealership in Seoul: South Korea saw the biggest jump in the number of high net worth individuals last year, according to Knight Frank's survey. 
Economy

Ranks of crazy rich Asians grow but heirs face uncertain future

Studies show region's wealthy shy away from touchy subject of succession

19 March 2020
Empty check-in counters at Don Mueang International Airport in Thailand are evidence of the sharp decline in Southeast Asian tourism amid the new coronavirus pandemic.
Datawatch

Southeast Asia faces budget deficits if tourist numbers drop 50%

Coronavirus pandemic exposes fragility of tourism-dependent economies

18 March 2020
© Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters, Getty Images
Asia Insight

Thailand's economic 'death by a thousand cuts' sows desperation

Suicides rise as debts, drought and coronavirus hit the country hard

17 March 2020
Bangkok opened its first urban railway in 1999, a relatively early mover in Southeast Asia, but frequent political upheavals and economic fluctuations delayed expansion. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Transportation

Bangkok hopes extended railway will ease traffic chaos

Subway system set to double with $9.5bn investment by 2023

15 March 2020
A Songkran water fight in Bangkok last year. But the spread of coronavirus this year has dampened plans. 
Coronavirus

Coronavirus threatens Thailand's Songkran festival

Authority plans to postpone Thai New Year festival to mitigate fall in tourism receipts

13 March 2020
Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, pictured on Feb. 5: the coronavirus outbreak is nothing short of a human credit squeeze. 
Opinion

Asia has little hope of economic recovery in 2020

Coronavirus, oil shock, weakened central banks all bode ill for struggling region

11 March 2020
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Nikkei Markets

Asian stocks skid amid crude oil rout, virus fears

Oil-related shares lead losses after Brent futures plunge

9 March 2020
The Philippines' ratio of women in senior management positions stood at 43%, versus just 12% in Japan.
Economy

Women in management: Southeast Asia improves but Singapore slips

Philippines' ratio of female execs tops region as Japan lags behind at 12%

7 March 2020
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6 March 2020
Pattaya has been popular with foreign expats and tourists since American servicemen flocked there during the Vietnam War.  (Photo by George Styllis)
Economy

Thailand's foreign retirees see their good life slip away

Surging baht and new rules dull the country's allure for budget-minded expats

5 March 2020
A woman walks out of a drugstore in Bangkok after failing to find face masks in stock. Thai consumers have been stockpiling masks at home, leading to an acute shortage.
Coronavirus

Thai government bans mask exports to battle coronavirus

Authorities seize control of distribution and fix prices amid gouging complaints

4 March 2020
A woman wears a mask in Bangkok: Thailand has restricted mask exports.
Coronavirus

Mask makers contend with new risk in Asia: state intervention

Thailand and China move to secure supplies of coronavirus gear

3 March 2020
A pack of Philippine-made cigarettes sits on a store shelf in Manila. The Philippines is Thailand's second-largest tobacco supplier.
Trade

Philippines' retaliation in Thai tobacco tiff stalled by frozen WTO

Manila trade official calls foul; readies to target auto imports from Thailand

2 March 2020
A veterinarian scans a microchip in a tiger at Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, in October 2016.
Coronavirus

Coronavirus an unlikely gift in Thailand's fight to save wildlife

China's Xi bans illicit trade as epidemic's link to smuggling becomes clear

29 February 2020