Features

The changing outlook for Japan's OIS rates, which have never been positive since 2016, follows a move by the ECB to address inflation.
Datawatch

Tokyo money market prices in 2023 rate hike

Overnight index swap rate turns positive for first time since early 2016

23 February 2022
Asia's military expenditure has surged more than 50% in the last decade, with China leading the pack. But will that spending result in actual conflict? 
The Big Story

Asia's arms race: China spurs military spending spree

The region's biggest players are shelling out on defense at an alarming rate. Is war on the horizon?

23 February 2022
The two main presidential candidates -- Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party, left, and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party -- are pledging to run the economy in a way that facilitates innovation while providing a safety net.
Asia Insight

Innovate or die: Korea Inc. faces harsh choice as election looms

Nation's next president tasked with reshaping export-oriented economy

22 February 2022
Investors who bought in at the top of a surge in "buy now, pay later" stocks are nursing hefty losses and putting their faith in industry consolidation to revive battered prices. (Source photos by Reuters, Getty Images and courtesy of Afterpay) 
Market Spotlight

'Buy now, pay later' companies lose their stock market luster

Shares tank as investors reevaluate new lending sector

21 February 2022
(Photo courtesy of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) 
Business Spotlight

Chip talent war: Taiwan faces critical staffing shortage

Semiconductor giants hike salaries to lure island's dwindling number of graduates

18 February 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, has been cracking down on corruption as he pushes to cement his grip on power. Authorities have arrested Zhou Jiangyong, right, the former top official in the city of Hangzhou, while Chinese state media have implicated Ant Group, controlled by billionaire Jack Ma, left, in the scandal. (Nikkei montage/AP/Reuters/Ken Kobayashi)
China up close

Analysis: Who's too cozy with the private sector? Xi Jinping decides

China's first arrest for 'disorderly expansion of capital' sends shock waves

17 February 2022
Policymakers are worried about the impact of monetary tightening on household debt, which has risen to record levels in major countries due to an increase in home mortgages. (Source photo by AP)
Datawatch

World's red-hot housing markets brace for interest rate hikes

Global household debt hits record $55tn as people ramp up borrowing to buy homes

16 February 2022
Former U.S. President Richard Nixon and his wife, Patricia, visit the Great Wall near Beijing during their trip to China in February 1972. Nixon was the first sitting U.S. president to travel to the country, kicking off a tumultuous half-century of U.S.-China relations. 
The Big Story

Nixon in China, 50 years on

Xi-Putin friendship usurps half a century of U.S. diplomacy

16 February 2022
Four decades after its "Look East Policy" deepened ties with Japan, Malaysia is increasingly seeking economic cooperation with China.
Asia Insight

Malaysia eyes China 40 years after it 'looked east' to Japan

Nation faces COVID, 1MDB and value chain hurdles on path to high-income status

15 February 2022
Tanks and tankers: Ukraine's military conducts exercises, top, and LNG is loaded on a ship in Qatar. (Source photos by AP and Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service/Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

Qatar's Asian gas contracts hamper Ukraine planning

U.S. pursues alternative LNG supplies for Europe if Russian cuts flow

14 February 2022
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Feb. 8. (Photo courtesy of SBG)
Business Spotlight

Collapse of Nvidia deal costs SoftBank an Arm and a leg

IPO could value chip designer at half what Masayoshi Son expected from sale, analysts say

11 February 2022
In just over a decade, more than half Japan's road bridges and tunnels will be at least 50 years old, an age widely seen as marking the end of the normal life span for infrastructure.
Datawatch

Aging infrastructure a major roadblock to Japan's future

About 60% of road bridges, 40% of tunnels will be at least 50 years old by 2033

10 February 2022
Vladimir Putin may have to settle for a little brother role to Xi Jinping due to the difference in national power. (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: Russia deal gives Xi safety net for potential Taiwan action

Natural gas pipeline enables China to survive Western energy blockade

10 February 2022
Liberal news outlets in Hong Kong such as Apple Daily, whose shuttered headquarters are shown here, have been dropping like flies since a national security law was introduced in 2020. In their absence, pro-China publications have been gaining influence. (Photo by Paul Yeung)
The Big Story

Hong Kong's independent media fight to survive

Erosion of press freedom leaves door open for pro-China publications

9 February 2022
China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin: A joint statement released after their recent summit says the countries' relationship "has no limits -- there are no 'forbidden' areas."
Asia Insight

China and Russia's 'no limits' ties test West as Ukraine shivers

Olympic summit with Xi caps Putin's evolution from leader once lauded by Biden

8 February 2022
Tokyo Stock Exchange President and CEO Hiromi Yamaji speaks to Nikkei Asia in Tokyo. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Market Spotlight

Tokyo Stock Exchange boss tells Japan to embrace activist investors

'Frank, open discussions' could help decision-making, says CEO Yamaji

7 February 2022
Shimao Chairman Hui Wing Mau was one of the first entrepreneurs from Hong Kong to enter the mainland Chinese market during the reform period of the 1980s. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Business Spotlight

China's Shimao fights to restore confidence as debt crisis spreads

Property market downturn hits Shanghai developer whose finances had not previously raised red flags

4 February 2022
A Xi-Putin handshake at the Beijing Winter Olympics would serve as a reminder of the link between the Taiwan and Ukraine issues. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/AP)
China up close

Analysis: Ukraine creates danger for Taiwan, Olympic truce or no

As the U.S. focuses on Europe, China sees a host of options for fait accompli

3 February 2022
Once seen as panacea for Japan's economic ills, the weaker yen is sapping households' purchasing power through higher prices for imported goods.
Datawatch

Weaker yen pinches household budgets in Japan

From clothing to smartphones, rising import prices mean lower living standards

2 February 2022
Ahead of the opening ceremony on Feb. 4, Beijing's rising COVID cases and the human cost of China's ruthless anti-virus policy are calling the zero-tolerance approach into question.
The Big Story

On thin ice: Winter Olympics reveal cracks in China's zero-COVID policy

With omicron's arrival, costs of zero-tolerance measures may outweigh benefits

2 February 2022
Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who leads the country, is facing resistance from a fractured -- and increasingly armed -- populace.
Asia Insight

Yangon calm masks Myanmar's pain 1 year after military takeover

Disparate forces meet along Thai border as strange 'new normal' sets in

1 February 2022
Fintech and logistics were among the major targets for investors pouring money into Southeast Asian startups in 2021. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

'Gold rush': ASEAN startup fundraising more than doubled in 2021

Fintech and logistics lead growth as region mints 25 new unicorns

31 January 2022
This Murata plant in the Philippines is the electronics maker's first overseas site to be fully powered by rooftop solar. (Photo courtesy of Murata) 
Business Spotlight

Japan Inc.'s green shift in Southeast Asia hits renewables roadblocks

Legacy of financing coal haunts companies and regional suppliers

28 January 2022
Whether Chinese President Xi Jinping can secure a longer term than the next five years depends on upcoming political battles, and the anti-corruption campaign will be his tool. (Nikkei montage/Xinhua/Kyodo)
China up close

Analysis: If Xi secures just 5 more years, he loses

The leader can only maintain grip if subordinates feel he'll stay

27 January 2022
 If the omicron wave in Japan is similar to that in other areas like New York, shown above, cases are not expected to decline until early February. (Source photo by UPI/Kyodo)
Datawatch

Japan COVID surge unlikely to ease until early February

Global data shows omicron waves take on average 27 days to peak

26 January 2022