The era of easy money is now officially over. For 15 years, policymakers have tried to stimulate the global economy through money creation, zero interest-rate policies, and more recently, aggressive COVID fiscal stimulus. With capital at near-zero costs over this stretch, investors started to place more value on cash flows in the distant future. Assets inflated and balance sheets expanded, and money inevitably chased more speculative assets like NFTs, crypto, or unproven vent

Asean is now the third largest economy in Asia (in terms of 2020 GDP $2.9 trillion) after China ($15.5 trillion) and Japan ($5.1 trillion) and one estimate suggests that by 2030, it can become the fifth largest economy in the world. It is also home to some of the world’s fastest-growing markets, with rapidly rising middle class and established manufacturing base that will continue to drive growth in consumption and investment in the coming years. The launching of the ASEAN Ec

Inflation is rising across the globe in 2022, but what does this mean for multinational companies and FDI levels? “Some companies may seek a less inflation-sensitive destination and plan to move operations there in lieu of rising costs in a current location,” says Glenn Barklie, chief economist at Investment Monitor. “On the other hand, with rising energy and food prices driving up costs and tightening profits, companies could see FDI as too risky in the current climate.” Set

Overseas money is starting to pull out of Chinese markets after the risk of investing in autocratic countries was starkly highlighted by sharp drops in Russia's currency and securities prices following its invasion of Ukraine. Market data shows foreign investors sold a net 38.4 billion yuan ($6.04 billion) of Chinese stocks and bonds in the January-March period, one of the highest such quarterly figures on record. "Outflows from China on the scale and intensity we are seeing

In the pandemic’s second year, some familiar worries -- about inflation, capital flight or public debt -- are starting to surface across the developing world. Except in one corner. In Asia, policy makers aren’t too preoccupied with these classic emerging-market problems. Their economies look increasingly like they’ve emerged. Asian Exception In the pre-pandemic decade, Asian economies posted much faster growth and lower inflation rates than their emerging-market peers That’s