Sound Economies with Mel & Peter: 19 February 2026
We flag some concerns in Southeast Asia: Indonesia’s USD 760 million planned consumption stimulus and initial hints of a crisis for the Philippine peso. We also look at more Chinese firms establishing homebases in Singapore, and an early exit planned... Read More →
Brazil’s upcoming elections and the return of political uncertainty
With Brazil in the middle of a polarising political scenario, investors face a challenging environment in the markets that currently favour more defensive strategies.
Next Week in China: 16-20 February 2026
The coming week is expected to be relatively quiet on the data front as the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday approaches.
Sound Economies with Mel & Peter: 12 February 2026
Markets rallied after Prime Minister Takaichi’s Liberal party dominated Japan’s lower house election, but we stay wary about bold fiscal expansions without sustainable funding. We also look at China getting ahead in the global chips race, US fast food giants... Read More →
Japan’s expansionary fiscal push is testing the market’s patience
They say that "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush", but Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appears to believe the opposite: free the bird from its cage and trust that people will reward the gesture – and they did.
Indonesia’s lofty plans with Danantara
The launch of Indonesia’s new sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, has sparked debate as it draws funding from state-owned enterprises. Subianto’s government is painting it as a high-risk, high-reward fund to attract global investors and drive domestic growth.
Next Week in China: 9-13 February 2026
The pace of major economic data releases is set to normalize entering the second week of February, offering a clearer read‑through on price dynamics and credit conditions across China’s markets.
Sound Economies with Mel & Peter: 5 February 2026
In this episode, we observe silver and gold prices plunge over the past week while China stocks saw a deep one-day slide. Though worrisome, we argue that these declines should not trigger panic among investors. We also weigh expectations regarding... Read More →
Next Week in China: 2-6 February 2026
Entering February, the coming week will be relatively quiet in terms of major data releases for mainland China.
Sound Economies with Mel & Peter: 29 January 2026
Trump’s wild rhetoric has claimed new victims: the US dollar, which suffered a continuing slide against the yen; and consumer confidence that has plunged to a 12-year low. This bolsters our forecast of a 10% slide for the dollar this... Read More →