Japan bucks PE slowdown in Asia with deal value soaring 183% last year

Japan bucks PE slowdown in Asia with deal value soaring 183% last year

A man jogs along the riverfront with the city skyline pictured in the background at Marina Bay on February 5, 2022 in Singapore. Suhaimi Abdullah | Nurphoto | Getty Images The total value of private equity deals in Asia Pacific last year fell to its lowest since 2014 as fundraising dropped to a 10-year low … Read more

Central banks had a big week. Here’s what happened — and what’s next

Central banks had a big week. Here’s what happened — and what’s next

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on interest rate policy in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2024. Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters Central banks around the world reached a pivotal point this week, with Switzerland becoming the first major economy to cut interest … Read more

Taiwan shares hit record highs on AI boom with more room to rally

Taiwan shares hit record highs on AI boom with more room to rally

High-rise buildings sprawl out across the Taiwanese capital Taipei. Ratima Sritangwong | EyeEm | Getty Images Taiwan shares notched fresh all-time highs on Friday as a booming demand for artificial intelligence and semiconductor technology boosts investor optimism for the country’s tech firms. Market watchers expect the rally in Taiwan stocks to strengthen further. The Taiwan … Read more

U.S. rejects China’s claim to Arunachal Pradesh, says it is a part of India

U.S. rejects China’s claim to Arunachal Pradesh, says it is a part of India

A tableau of Arunachal Pradesh state during the Republic Day parade along Kartavya Path in New Delhi, India, on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. India’s Republic Day marks the anniversary of when the country’s secular constitution came into effect in 1950.  Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. has rejected China’s “unilateral attempts” to claim … Read more

‘Mr Yen’ says Japan may intervene if yen drops to 155

‘Mr Yen’ says Japan may intervene if yen drops to 155

Japanese authorities may intervene if the yen sinks to 155 to 160 against the dollar, according to a former top foreign exchange official Eisuke Sakakibara. The Bank of Japan’s decision on Tuesday to exit the world’s last remaining negative rates regime sparked a sell-off in the Japanese currency as Governor Kazuo Ueda reiterated monetary conditions … Read more

Hong Kong’s national security law has analysts divided on its social and economic ramifications

Hong Kong’s national security law has analysts divided on its social and economic ramifications

Lawmakers, government officials, and Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee are posing for a group photo inside the chamber of the Legislative Council complex after passing the Safeguarding National Security Bill in Hong Kong, China, on March 19, 2024.  Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Hong Kong’s new national security bill that seeks to “prevent, suppress … Read more

China and New Zealand pledge deeper trade and economic cooperation

China and New Zealand pledge deeper trade and economic cooperation

China and New Zealand flags. Andrea Verdelli | Getty Images News | Getty Images China and New Zealand are working toward implementing an upgraded version of the free trade agreement between the two countries. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday the two countries should kick off negotiations on the negative list of service trade … Read more

Bank of Japan made a landmark rate pivot. Here’s what happens next

Bank of Japan made a landmark rate pivot. Here’s what happens next

Neon advertisements in Osaka’s Dotonbori district in Japan Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images Japan’s central bank on Tuesday finally ended its experiment with negative rates and unconventional easing tools which were aimed at reflating the world’s fourth-largest economy. The Bank of Japan’s decision came just days after Rengo, Japan’s largest federation of trade … Read more

China tightens regulations on consumer finance companies

China tightens regulations on consumer finance companies

BEIJING, CHINA – MARCH 04: Chinese national flags flutter at the Great Hall of the People as the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opens on March 4, 2024 in Beijing, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images … Read more

Bank of Japan hikes rates for the first time in 17 years, abolishes yield curve control

Bank of Japan hikes rates for the first time in 17 years, abolishes yield curve control

Japan flag and Japanese Yen cash banknotes (money, economy, business, finance, inflation, crisis) Javier Ghersi | Moment | Getty Images Japan’s central bank raised interest rates on Tuesday for the first time since 2007 and abolished its yield control curve policy, ending the world’s last negative rates regime on early signs of robust wage gains … Read more