China appears in better footing to push back against the US in the face of a slew of higher and wide-reaching tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. The renewed trade war saw Washington imposing an effective duty of 145 per cent on China-made imports, to which Beijing responded with an equally hefty 125 per cent tariff on American products entering...

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra aims to protect and boost the digital economy of Thailand to reach up to 30 per cent of GDP by 2030. Based on the 2024 e-Conomy SEA report, the country’s digital economy grew by 19 per cent and brought the gross merchandise value from USD 39 billion in 2023 to USD 46 billion. The Minister of...

We present to you the newest issue of our China & ASEAN Quarterly magazine. These are highly volatile yet exciting times in the financial markets, and we are here to share our insights and assist you in making sense of the rapidly changing economic headlines. The US has waged an all-out tariff war that punishes its trading partners, particularly China,...

In 2022, Indonesia raised its target for the reduction of carbon emissions to 31.89 per cent by 2030 as part of its commitments to the Paris Agreement. To achieve this, the country introduced a carbon pricing and trading market that sets the value for each unit of greenhouse gas released. The Indonesia Carbon Exchange, or IDX Carbon for short, officially...

Economies in Southeast Asia are not directly benefiting from the rapidly escalating tariff war between the US and China under American President Donald Trump. If anything, the negative spillover effects generated by the trade scuffle has turned for the worse. Taking a cursory glance, one can say that Trump’s renewed policy of imposing higher export duties on all its trading...

With Malaysia currently holding the chairmanship for ASEAN, there is a significant economic opportunity to boost and strengthen its halal sector to become a key exporter both regionally and internationally. For the past decade, the country has remained on top of the Global Islamic Economy Indicator which is a testament to its expertise in enabling a robust environment for halal...

Financial markets in China went through a rocky start in 2025, barrelled by the US piling tariffs on one product after the other to end at an effective duty worth 145 per cent as of April. Chinese bonds performed steadily, with limited volatility throughout the first quarter of 2025, although we believe China's benchmark interest rates have further room to...

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and this includes the escalating trade war waged by the US against the rest of the world. While China bears the brunt of President Donald Trump’s sky-high tariffs, all other countries trading with the US are facing higher duties on their exports. A major difference between Trump’s first and second terms in the White...

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Brazil decided to raise the interest rate by a full percentage point in its January meeting, and again by a similar magnitude on 19 March to bring the key rate to 14.25 per cent, marking five consecutive increases. Former Governor Roberto Campos ended 2024 with a full percentage point rate hike,...

The Labour Party has vowed to “rebuild Britain” as it regained control of the UK Parliament in late 2024, but it comes at a steep price to be paid for by its people. New Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Treasury chief Rachel Reeves got started by introducing a reform budget that carries a GBP 40 billion (USD 50.8 billion)...