World Archives - Page 7 of 305

23Dec

By Walter ParezNo Comments

Asia, Market, World

Malaysia Leads Southeast Asia in Digital Investments

Malaysia retained its position as Southeast Asia’s top data center hub in 2024, attracting $23 billion in investments and solidifying its status as a leading digital hub, Knight Frank said Monday. The global property consultant, in its Data Centre Research Report 2024, noted Malaysia ranked first in the SEA-5 Data Centre Opportunity Index for the second straight year, with an annual take-up of 429 MW, surpassing regional peers. Strategic investments from tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, and Oracle drove the growth, contributing $23.3 billion. Malaysia hosts 54 operational data centers with a combined capacity of 504.8 MW, led by Johor in IT capacity and Klang Valley as a core market. Emerging hubs include Sarawak, Negeri Sembilan, and Kedah. Malay...

Bangladesh inciting unrest to conceal a catastrophe

23Dec

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

Asia, World

Bangladesh inciting unrest to conceal a catastrophe

Bangladesh’s economy is in a rapid nosedive, with over one million people becoming unemployed since August 5. Numerous commercial and industrial establishments are shutting down due to an acute liquidity crisis. This hampers entrepreneurs from opening Letters of Credit for importing essential raw materials and other items required for sustaining businesses. Meanwhile, dozens of ‘buying houses’ that coordinated the procurement of readymade garments from local factories for large buyers—mostly in the United States, Britain, and EU nations—have closed their offices. This is primarily driven by mob anarchy, rampant extortion, threats, intimidation, and a hostile environment that discourages foreign nationals, particularly Indians, from remaining in the country. Analysts warn Bangladesh ...

An analyst predicts how Trump may affect the US economy.

23Dec

By Mike TrudellNo Comments

Market, USA, World

An analyst predicts how Trump may affect the US economy.

President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally. In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration. What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Q: What kind of economy is Trump inheriting?A: It is objectively a strong economy. But that doesn’t mean the man in the street agrees. If you look just at the growth numbers, they’...

According to sources, India is considering a potential trade agreement with Trump.

20Dec

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

Asia, World

According to sources, India is considering a potential trade agreement with Trump.

India is discussing a possible trade and investment deal with the United States, according to officials in New Delhi. The Modi government is looking to offer tariffs cuts on some farm and other goods imported mainly from the US in a bid to clinch a broader trade and investment deal once president-elect Donald Trump takes charge, according to a report by Reuters that cited government and industry sources. To tackle Trump’s threat of a “reciprocal tax” on Indian goods for high tariffs, some officials of the Indian commerce ministry are ready to consider cuts on products such as pork, a senior government source told Reuters. India currently slaps about a 45% import tariff on pork, which is mostly supplied by the US. Tariffs could also be reduced on high-end medical devices such as p...

Closing Bell: IT, banks suffer the most, and pharmaceutical is the only exception as the Sensex drops 960 points and the Nifty closes at 23,950.

19Dec

By Walter ParezNo Comments

Market, World

Closing Bell: IT, banks suffer the most, and pharmaceutical is the only exception as the Sensex drops 960 points and the Nifty closes at 23,950.

Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak SecuritiesToday, the benchmark indices corrected sharply, with the Nifty ends 247 points lower and the Sensex down by 964 points. Among sectors, the Pharma and Healthcare indices rallied over 1 percent, while the IT, Defence, and financial indices shed over 1 percent. Technically, after a gap down, the market hovered within the range of 23,900/79,200 to 24,000/79,500 throughout the day. We believe that the short-term market sentiment remains on the weak side; however, due to temporary oversold conditions, we could see a quick pullback rally from the current levels. For traders, the key support zones are at 23,870/79,000 and the 200-day SMA (Simple Moving Average) or 23,825/78,800. If the index remains above these levels, we could see a q...

Africa’s trade deficit with China continues to widen

15Dec

By Walter ParezNo Comments

China, World

Africa’s trade deficit with China continues to widen

African countries suffer from the trade deficit with China, which has continued to swell. In 2023, the exports from China were in surplus by USD 63 billion, while the trade deficit in 2022 was USD 49 billion. In 2021, the trade deficit was USD 39 billion. These figures showed the gap between the exports between China and Africa has increased at a high rate. Since China implemented the Belt Road Initiative, its trade with African countries has increased but it did not benefit the latter. In 2023, the overall trade grew by 1.5 percent year-on-year. However, African exports to China showed a decrease of 6.7 percent to USD 109 billion. On the other hand, Chinese exports to the continent grew by 7.5 percent USD 173 billion. China has taken full advantage of the African Continental Fr...

13Dec

By Online DeskNo Comments

Market, USA, World

Economic Forecast for the United States

The US economy has had the strongest recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic of any major developed economy. Annual inflation is approaching the Federal Reserve’s target without a recession, non-managerial real wages have exceeded pre-pandemic trends, consumer spending is continuing to exceed expectations, investment in factories is at record levels, and the United States is a net exporter of petroleum products.1 Against this backdrop, in January a new administration will take charge of government. Initial market response to the news was favorable,2 with the expectation that the new administration will be able to build on the economy’s strong foundations and unlock further growth. At the same time, there remains uncertainty around the potential implications of economic policies of the...

A crisis in Taiwan is a problem in China.

2Dec

By Joe RodriguezNo Comments

China, World

A crisis in Taiwan is a problem in China.

The European Union needs a China contingency. Government and corporate decision-makers may be preparing for a possible Chinese military attack on Taiwan, but they must also focus on how a Taiwan crisis will impact China and, consequently, the EU’s economic security. Largely on account of Taiwan’s prominent position in the global semiconductor industry, a Chinese attack on the island will inflict trillions of dollars in costs on the global economy. But a Taiwan crisis also threatens to disrupt China-centered production and supply chains for green technologies, such as electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines, as well as create unprecedented geopolitical risk for European companies in China. The economic costs of a limited conflictJapanese observers of East Asian geopolitics ...

30Nov

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

Asia, Market, USA, World

Asia Economic Monthly: Asia’s Trump surprise

Donald Trump has won the US presidential election. Tariffs and tax policy will likely be the focus under Trump 2.0, according to Nomura analysis. The administration may implement 60% tariffs against China, which may come into effect by mid-2025, and baseline tariffs of 10% on most foreign products imported by the US. What Trump 2.0 means for Asia Asia is better prepared this time. Trump’s re-election has less of a shock factor given greater familiarity with his policies. Asia is also more resilient, due to the ongoing trends of US-China decoupling, shifts in global supply chains and lower Asian exports to China. Yet, Trump 2.0 will likely mean more policy uncertainty, which may be a negative for Asia. There could be a larger drag on 2025 GDP growth. Even prior to t...

Before the long weekend, the dollar declines due to a dump of economic data.

29Nov

By Michael SmithNo Comments

Market, USA, World

Before the long weekend, the dollar declines due to a dump of economic data.

The dollar fell broadly on Wednesday in thin pre-holiday trade, digesting a slew of indicators that underscored U.S. economic resilience while investors assessed the risk that President-elect Donald Trump will start a tariff war no one will win. The decline further unwound the dollar's recent rally. Few traders were interested in building or holding positions before a long Thanksgiving weekend for many of them that dovetails with month end. Markets are closed Thursday and exchanges close early on Friday. Moreover, revised data showing gross domestic product rose at a 2.8% rate in the third quarter, as expected and the same as last month's first estimate, did not much bolster the case for the Federal Reserve to ease again next month, although traders still leaned that way, lifting od...

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