Market Spotlight

The Bank of Japan overhauled its monetary policy on Tuesday, and ended the purchases of exchange traded funds. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

Japan stocks could grow more volatile with end of BOJ ETF purchases

Central bank had bought most of country's exchange traded funds

25 March 2024
Surprisingly generous pay raises at some of Japan's biggest corporations might have finally persuaded the Bank of Japan to start moving away from its unconventional monetary policy. (Nikkei montage/Akira Kodaka, Yuji Murakami, and pool)
Market Spotlight

Japan's wage hikes create game-changing inflation dynamic as BOJ meets

Market braces for comprehensive overhaul of the central bank's monetary policy

18 March 2024
The Malaysian ringgit has been buffeted by global financial and economic trends. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Market Spotlight

Malaysian ringgit's fall puts central bank, government on alert

Country 'ready' to intervene after currency hits lowest level since Asian crisis

11 March 2024
The Kospi is down by 1.03% this year, while Japan's benchmark Nikkei Stock Average is up by 19.89%. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and EPA/Jiji)
Market Spotlight

South Korea's plan to boost stock market disappoints investors

Chaebol benefit from low share prices due to high inheritance tax, experts say

4 March 2024
The BOJ is widely expected to end its negative interest policy, introduced in January 2016, this spring. (Source photos by Nanami Sato and Kohnosuke Urata)
Market Spotlight

Japan stocks give boost to BOJ's case for monetary tightening

Investors anticipate rate hike to 0-0.1% in April as Japanese yen hovers near 34-year low

26 February 2024
Japanese retail investors still prefer foreign equities despite repeated rallies at home. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty and Toshiki Sasazu)
Market Spotlight

Japan's revamped NISA program seen benefiting U.S., Indian stocks

Japanese retail continues to favor foreign equities even as domestic stocks surge

19 February 2024
SPACs have largely failed so far to deliver to investors the high returns they have sought. (Source photos by Reuters and Akira Kodaka) 
Market Spotlight

Singapore, Hong Kong SPAC failures highlight thwarted ambitions

Lack of new listings and stalled mergers dim prospects for 'blank-check companies'

12 February 2024
Japanese stockbrokers reported subdued growth in retail revenue in the October-December quarter, raising questions about the durability of the recent stock market rally and the level of domestic participation in it. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Nanami Sato)
Market Spotlight

Foreign enthusiasm over Japanese stocks yet to filter down at home

Brokers' earnings show domestic retail investors are cautious on market's prospects

5 February 2024
Volatile prices of nickel and other EV battery materials are creating headaches for Australia's resource sector. 
Market Spotlight

Australia's EV battery metals industry faces Indonesia, China challenges

Weak nickel and lithium prices force some miners to stop digging

29 January 2024
Foreign investors purchased a net 955.7 billion yen ($6.46 billion) of Japanese stocks between Jan. 9 and 12, the largest amount since June, according to Tokyo Stock Exchange data. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Nanami Sato and Toshiki Sasazu)
Market Spotlight

Foreign traders, Chinese fuel Japan's market rally in new year

First-time investors to country entered with low-cost passive investments

22 January 2024
Issuance of securities that promise investors the returns from non-performing loans in China rose 54% in 2023 from the previous year's level. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

Chinese sales of bonds backed by bad bank loans hit new high

Flurry of issuance fails to reassure investors worried about credit quality

15 January 2024
With a population of 4 million, Johor has been trying to develop new areas of the economy over the past two decades. (Nikkei montage/Getty Images)
Market Spotlight

Johor projects push Malaysia's lesser-known stocks to new heights

Southern state's economic zone with Singapore boosts developers, tech companies

8 January 2024
China's path to economic recovery looks to be tough in the new year even though its government has rolled out a raft of measures to boost the slow economy. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

Rate cuts, Chinese rebound in focus for Asia in 2024

Investors waiting on Japan to end its ultraloose monetary policy

1 January 2024
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has vowed to boost annual investment in Japanese startups to 10 trillion yen ($70 billion) by 2027. 
Market Spotlight

Japan struggles to meet goals for venture capital investments

International VC firms are discouraged by small deal sizes and cultural barriers

25 December 2023
Markets are watching the yen's volatility against the U.S. dollar as BOJ policy members meet for the last time this year. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Satoko Kawasaki) 
Market Spotlight

Yen reverses downtrend as policy rates of BOJ and Fed set to move closer

Shift in foreign exchange market sends Japan Inc. scrambling

18 December 2023
Singapore's commercial property investment volume declined 11%, year-on-year, to $2 billion in the third quarter of 2023. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Market Spotlight

From Singapore to South Korea, commercial property deals falter

Japan and India are bright spots, although most real estate investors remain wary

11 December 2023
The number of IPOs in Mumbai is expected to rise 45% this year, and new listings in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hong Kong to fall by around 30%. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Kenji Kawase)
Market Spotlight

Mumbai leads world in number of IPOs as new China listings fall

Hong Kong's equity fundraising proceeds drop below India's in sign of waning appeal

4 December 2023
President Yoon Suk Yeol has come down firmly on the side of retail investors regarding the issue of short-selling of shares. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
Market Spotlight

South Korea's stock short-selling ban raises political questions

Experts, media see potential negative impact of 'populism' ahead of April election

27 November 2023
Rising interest rates are sharpening competition for deposits, banking industry insiders say, benefitting Japanese savers.
Market Spotlight

Japanese bankers face new challenge: learning how to raise rates

Predictions of Bank of Japan policy change prompt lenders to prepare for new era

20 November 2023
Marc Rowan, chief executive of Apollo Global Management, says there is a shortage of "guaranteed lifetime income" for retirees in Japan and around the world.
Market Spotlight

Japan's aging savers entice U.S. asset manager Apollo Global

Private credit lender looks to offer 'safe yield' products through Japanese partners

13 November 2023
Manufacturing is widely considered to be one of the areas where Japan could best contribute to decarbonization. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
Market Spotlight

Japan's green transition bonds find 'more open-minded' investors

Economy ministry leads industrial decarbonization, confronts 'transition-washing' fears

6 November 2023
The BOJ will release a quarterly update to economic projections among the nine board members after the policy meeting, which will give a clue to the BOJ's view on the durability of inflation. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Suzu Takahashi and pool)
Market Spotlight

Japan yen poised for a big move as the BOJ discusses its next step

Policy meeting follows rate hikes by Indonesia and the Philippines

30 October 2023
A glut of office space and the expected opening of more commercial towers are likely to weigh further on Hong Kong's slumping real estate market. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Getty Images) 
Market Spotlight

Hong Kong property market woes pile pressure on government

End of COVID seclusion fails to stimulate real estate demand

23 October 2023
Currencies in Southeast Asia have trended lower against the dollar in recent months due to tepid regional economic growth and interest rate gaps with the U.S. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Market Spotlight

Malaysian, Thai economies suffer as currencies slide vs. dollar

ASEAN depreciations bring higher import costs and increase inflation risks

16 October 2023
Japan's office towers and other pieces of commercial real estate have more stable occupancy rates and profitability compared with those in other APAC countries.
Market Spotlight

Foreign investors flock to Japan to buy warehouses and offices

Low borrowing costs stand out amid 'higher for longer' interest rates elsewhere

9 October 2023