Singapore’s central bank leaves policy unchanged in first quarterly meeting of 2024

The Merlion statue in Singapore, on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. Photographer: Lionel Ng/Bloomberg via Getty Images Lionel Ng | Bloomberg | Getty Images Singapore’s central bank left its policy unchanged on Monday in its first quarterly monetary policy decision of 2024. The Monetary Authority of Singapore said it will also maintain its exchange rate policy … Read more

China’s PBOC announces RRR cut as it seeks to boost growth

Pan Gongsheng was named party secretary of the People’s Bank of China on July 1, 2023. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — China pledged to reduce the amount of liquidity that its banks are required to hold as reserves early next month in its bid to boost its struggling economy. Reserve … Read more

Bank of Japan expectedly retains its ultra-loose policy

Bank of Japan governor Kazuo Ueda gestures as he speaks during a press conference following a monetary policy meeting at the Bank of Japan’s headquarters in Tokyo on July 28, 2023. The Bank of Japan on July 28 eased its grip on its ultra-loose monetary policy in a small step towards normalisation as inflation accelerates … Read more

Singapore transport minister S Iswaran charged with corruption

S. Iswaran, Singapore’s minister for transport, speaks to members of the media during a tour of Changi Airport in Singapore, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Starting April 1, Singapore will scrap its so-called vaccinated travel lanes and admit all vaccinated travelers who test negative before entering Singapore by air or sea and they will be … Read more

China misses fourth-quarter GDP estimates, resumes posting youth unemployment data

Construction at China Vanke Co.’s Isle Maison development in Hefei, China, on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images BEIJING — China has resumed reporting the unemployment rate for young people. The National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday that excluding people still in school, the unemployment rate for young people aged 16 … Read more

Taiwan 2024 election: DPP’s Lai Ching-te wins

Supporters of the Democratic Progressive party (DPP) await the announcement of official results at a rally on January 13, 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan. Annabelle Chih | Getty Images News | Getty Images TAIPEI — Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party is set to win an unprecedented third-straight presidential term, though it remains unclear if leader Lai … Read more

China’s annual exports drop for the first time in seven years

Containers sit at the Yangshan Port in Shanghai, China, Aug. 6, 2019. Aly Song | Reuters BEIJING — China’s annual exports fell for the first time in seven years in 2023, even as shipments in December beat expectations, customs data showed Friday. Exports rose by 2.3% year on year in U.S. dollar terms last month, … Read more

Asia’s young and rich are fueling art demand — what are they collecting?

Auctioneer Victoire Gineste gestures as she adjudicates for 20 million euros ($21.9 million) a recently rediscovered drawing by Michelangelo, the artist’s first known nude, at the Christie’s auction house in Paris on May 18, 2022. Emmanuel Dunand | Afp | Getty Images Wealthy, young collectors in Asia have been fueling demand for art — particularly … Read more

Economy, Gaza war and China ties dominate

Presidential candidates Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, and Ganjar Pranowo, along with their vice presidential candidates, are posing for photos after the first presidential candidate debate at the General Election Commission (KPU) office in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 12, 2023. Indonesia is preparing to hold general elections for president and vice president for the 2024-2029 period … Read more

Tencent, NetEase shares rebound after China regulator’s assurance on new rules

A mobile phone is displaying the screen of Tencent Games company’s stock plunge in Suqian, Jiangsu Province, China, on December 22, 2023. Costfoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Chinese online gaming stocks rose Wednesday, recovering some losses from the previous session after the country’s top gaming regulator said it will “carefully study” the concerns of … Read more