Economy & Trade

Nov. 19 – When looking to expand your manufacturing business into Vietnam, there are a variety of key issues for which extra attention needs to be paid. You need to be aware of not just your potential location, but also what establishing a presence in that location means – specifically with regard to different zone […]

Nov. 18 – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has concluded its annual Article IV Consultations with Singapore, Thailand, and the Republic of Korea. Conducted annually, Article IV Consultations attempt to assess each country’s economic health and forestall future financial problems. The results of the three Consultations were inevitably mixed. In its report on Singapore, the […]

Nov. 14 – Currencies across Asia declined following the release of a surprisingly positive U.S. jobs report. In October, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country added 204,000 jobs – much higher than the 120,000 that analysts had initially expected. Most analysts had expected that the government shutdown in the U.S. would […]

The recently-leaked Trans-Pacific Partnership documents by Wikileaks and accompanying commentary from Julian Assange show that they have no understanding of international trade, changing global dynamics, or how democracy works.

By Shawn Greene Nov. 13 – As the damage caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan is assessed, many wonder whether the Philippines, ASEAN’s fastest growing economy, can continue to show resilience in the face of catastrophic natural disaster. The single most powerful storm to make landfall in recorded history, Super Typhoon Haiyan is estimated to have […]

Nov. 12 – The Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) begins today in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and will last until the 14th of November. The Forum is titled “Partnering for Wealth Creation and Social Development: The Commonwealth, Indian Ocean and SAARC.” The CBF is co-organized by the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) and the government of Sri Lanka. […]

Nov. 8 – Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh has concluded his four day visit to Singapore to discuss economic and strategic co-operation between the two countries. During his visit, Deputy PM Ninh expressed his desire for Singapore to assist Vietnam with long-term economic planning, and converting Phu Quoc Island into a special economic […]

Nov. 6 – Singapore’s economy has shown modest growth in the third quarter of 2013. As Asian’s most trade-dependent nation, however, this does not necessarily signify recovery – in September, Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports slipped 7.3 percent compared to the same time last year. Looking forward, however, positive growth in the G3 economies (Europe, Japan […]

Nov. 6 – On Joe Biden’s second trip to Asia as vice president of the United States of America, he will be visiting Japan, China and the Republic of Korea. The trip will take place in the first week of December and looks to be the U.S. administration’s effort to push its “Asia pivot” back […]

Nov. 1 – Wal-Mart announced plans this month to rebalance its portfolio of retail stores in Asia following poorer-than-expected results among its Indian locations. The retailer, which entered the Indian market through a joint venture with Bharti Enterprises, has decided to suspend its operations in the country due to restrictive government regulations, which required the […]