Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent call for the revival of an Asian Monetary Fund (AMF) “to reduce reliance on the dollar or the International Monetary Fund” (IMF), raises the question of whether an AMF was necessary in the first place. Japan proposed the idea of an AMF shortly after the outbreak of the Asian Financial Crisis in July […]Continue Reading
The potential for cross-border trade between India and its neighboring countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China — has not been fully realized. India’s formal cross-border trade with these countries was about US$2.48 billion in 2021 despite the $115 billion trade potential. Only nine of India’s 17 border states are actively engaged in cross-border trade. This […]Continue Reading
News reports suggest Huawei is upgrading its presence in Saudi Arabia into a regional headquarters, underscoring the Chinese tech giant’s commitment to the kingdom’s and the region’s economic and technological development. Saudi Arabia’s Regional Headquarters Program requires a multinational company wishing to do business with Saudi government agencies to locate its regional headquarters for the […]Continue Reading
At first glance, Indonesia’s long-awaited Presidential Regulation on the Acceleration of Renewable Energy Development for Electricity Generation looks like a step forward toward a clean energy transition. It embeds pricing regulations for renewable energy projects within a wider roadmap for the early retirement of coal-fired power plants. But there are doubts over its effectiveness due to underlying […]Continue Reading
The 2019 satirical film “Eeb Allay Ooo!” highlights the grim reality of India’s employment crisis. The protagonist, who lacks marketable skills, takes on the impossible job of chasing away monkeys from public spaces. The subcontractor, not happy with his employee’s performance, hurls insults, withholds his wages and finally fires him. The film unwittingly captures what is wrong […]Continue Reading
Growing confrontation and competition between the United States and China has paved the way for closer US-Taiwan economic relations. Taiwan could take advantage of this changing geopolitical environment to advance deeper institutionalized trade ties with the United States. A complex supply chain network between US and Taiwanese companies has grown over decades. Despite this close […]Continue Reading
The latest jobs report is in, and the good news is Federal Reserve policy on inflation appears to be working. The bad news is Fed policy on inflation appears to be working. The March 2023 jobs report reveals that the US economy added 236,000 jobs during the month – roughly in line with expectations. A […]Continue Reading
Pakistan is on the edge of defaulting on its financial obligations. In 2022, climate change led to severe floods in the country and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affected food and energy supply chains. Both events exacerbated Pakistan’s economic difficulties. But volatile politics have hamstrung any coherent government response. Pakistan is simultaneously trying to cope with […]Continue Reading
Five years ago it would have been unimaginable, but today there is a global movement convinced the world’s largest corporations are engaging in stealth warfare to transform liberal democracies into neo-communist dictatorships. At the heart of this corporate-led Marxist revolution, apparently, is the trend towards businesses not just focusing on profit maximization but taking into […]Continue Reading
Here’s a prediction: In 10 or even 20 years’ time, no reputable economist or statistician will be able to work out convincingly what economic benefit the United Kingdom gained from joining the 11-country Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2023. Those 11 countries are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore […]Continue Reading