Datawatch

Global stock buybacks reached a record $1.32 trillion in 2018.
Datawatch

From fundraiser to gift giver: markets shift role in buyback era

Share repurchases surpass stock offerings by $1.8tn over past 5 years

13 October 2019
WeWork raised far more money than Amazon before attempting to go public, but now it finds itself in trouble.
Datawatch

22 years after Amazon's dream IPO, startups shun public listings

Flood of venture capital allows tech companies to avoid scrutiny of markets

6 October 2019
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Datawatch

Investors edge away from risky leveraged loans in echo of 2008

As economy cools, securitized debt loses its sheen

22 September 2019
The Strait of Hormuz is a key marine transportation route.
Datawatch

Hormuz crisis threatens Asian imports beyond energy

US-Iran tensions endanger shipments of aluminum and chemicals

15 September 2019
Central bank officials have expressed interest in Japan's low interest rate policy amid concerns over a global economic slowdown.
Datawatch

Subzero interest rate trend sends shivers through Asia

Global negative-yield bonds double to $17tn, posing economic risk

8 September 2019
Workers inspect the scene of a collision between a Keikyu commuter train and a truck at a railway crossing in Yokohama on Sept. 5. The driver of the truck was killed and 35 passengers injured in the accident.
Japan

Train crash highlights risk of Tokyo's 'unopened' rail crossings

Waits of more than 40 minutes and lack of safety features raise accident risk

6 September 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump has openly declared: "I like tariffs."  
Datawatch

China tariffs backfire on Trump -- and threaten global growth

Japanese and other Asian economies hurt by slowing Chinese exports to US

1 September 2019
The first decrease in GFI in 10 years reflects the increasingly uncertain outlook for economic activity amid the trade war between the U.S. and China. 
Datawatch

Trade war hammers foreign investment in China and Southeast Asia

New greenfield investment falls to 2009 level as globalization reverses course

25 August 2019
The yuan fell below the critical 7-to-the-dollar level in early August, prompting the U.S. to label China as a "currency manipulator".
Datawatch

China allows weaker yuan but still fights downward pressures

Market forces would sink currency even lower if Beijing did not intervene

18 August 2019
Asia has not been insulated from the risk of surging corporate debt. 
Datawatch

Asia's 'zombies' concentrated in India, Indonesia and South Korea

Debt-laden companies kept alive by easy credit have doubled in decade

11 August 2019
Among municipalities, Shibuya Ward in Tokyo attracts the biggest amount of spending by foreign tourists.
Datawatch

Tourists flock to Japan -- but only splash out in Tokyo

Osaka gains in visitor numbers but falls further behind in spending

4 August 2019
According to data released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the minimum wage in Japan rose 20% in the past decade.
Datawatch

Pay in Japan increasingly stuck to floor as productivity lags

Data suggests companies offering minimum wage too inefficient to go higher

21 July 2019
Long-term U.S. Treasury rates have stayed lower than short-term rates recently. 
Datawatch

History shows that Asia should not rejoice in US stock rally

Inverted yield curve is often followed by market crashes

14 July 2019
A decrease in the number of polling stations is a reason for lower voter turnout. 
Japan election

Aging Japan sacrifices voter turnout with polling station cuts

Data show disproportionate impact on regions with more older people

9 July 2019
Some 68% of Japan's farmers are past retirement age, and all of them seem to have politicians pandering to them.
Japan election

Don't believe what you've heard about Japanese farmers

Despite their diminished numbers they remain a crucial voting bloc

8 July 2019
Japan's young people, who have grown up in a global and digital society, are taking the country's shift toward more diversity in stride. 
Datawatch

Abe has Japan's youth on his side as political age divide widens

Poll before upper house election reflects trends shaking global democracies

7 July 2019
Nikkei and the Japan Center for Economic Research have tried to pin down the appropriate dollar exchange rates of eight Asian currencies by analyzing an array of economic data.
Datawatch

Most Asian currencies weaker than they should be against dollar

Nikkei analysis shows yuan and yen at an equilibrium as Trump threatens action

26 June 2019
The IMF forecasts that China's current-account balance will turn negative in 2022.
Datawatch

Quiet capital flight dents China's sway as $1.2tn 'disappears'

Beijing faces waning global clout with current-account deficit looming

23 June 2019
Many policymakers and market players are beginning to fear that the US corporate credit cycle is approaching its peak and will soon enter a phase of contraction (Nikkei montage/Reuters).
Datawatch

Swelling US corporate debt raises risk of global financial meltdown

American businesses more indebted than before the financial crisis

16 June 2019
The sources of value created by Google, Amazon and other IT companies are intangible assets like brands, expertise and customer data (Source photos by Getty Images/Reuters).
Datawatch

Where did corporate taxes go? Nations find digital gains elusive

Multinational companies scour the globe for best saving options

9 June 2019
A ship loaded with container boxes is seen at Qingdao Port in China's Shandong Province.
Datawatch

Chinese goods navigate alternate trade routes to US shores

Data shows increased flows via Vietnam and Mexico with origin disguised

1 June 2019
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Datawatch

The diverging figures behind Belt and Road

Data shows Beijing's focus is more on construction than investment

17 December 2018
China Great Wall Asset Management is one of four companies that were established to buy nonperforming debt. (AP/Reuters)
Datawatch

China's bad debt disposal re-emerges -- in charts

Beijing prods asset management companies to buy more nonperforming loans

18 November 2018
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Datawatch

How the IMF's wayward Asia forecasts improved

Calculations for India and China thrown off by global financial crisis

29 October 2018
A truck crosses the Friendship Bridge from Dandong in China to Sinuiju in North Korea. 
Datawatch

North Korea's mysterious trade deficit with China -- in charts

Pyongyang continues to finance imbalance, despite lack of foreign capital

8 October 2018