Chinese cities like Beijing, pictured here on July 6, 2022, require negative virus tests from within the last 72 hours in order to enter most public spaces. Kevin Frayer | Getty Images News | Getty Im...
Tag: Asia Economy
rising costs are squeezing retailers’ margins
Retail businesses in Singapore are grappling with higher costs as rents rise and energy prices soar, the Singapore Retailers Association said. Cost pressure is a big concern for many Singapore retail...
GM reports worst sales in China since onset of Covid-19 lockdowns
WUHAN, CHINA – 2022/05/18: Employees wearing masks work on a car assembly line at the SAIC General Motors Co. The SAIC General Motors Wuhan Branch has resumed production following epidemic preve...
China’s Liu He, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hold virtual talks
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He represented his country in the signing of a trade agreement with the U.S. in January 2020.C Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s Vice Premier Liu He and U...
What’s required to travel to Thailand? Only one Covid document now
Travelers wondering what it’s like to visit Thailand now may be interested to know the country is “allowing almost everything” again. That’s according to the Tourism Authority ...
Chinese plans to save hit a record high in Q2; job concerns rise
Education remained the most popular category for Chinese consumer’s planned spending, according to a People’s Bank of China survey in the second quarter of 2022. China News Service | China...
China’s economy didn’t bounce back in the second quarter, survey finds
China’s exports surged by 16.9% in May from a year ago, two times faster than analysts expected. Pictured here on June 15, 2022, are workers in Jiangsu province making stuffed toy bears for expo...
Why one stock brokerage is bullish on Reliance Industries and Infosys
India’s stocks didn’t have a good start in the first half of the year, but stock brokerage Kotak Securities remains bullish on two stocks. Reliance Industries, an energy and telecommunicat...
China cuts quarantine for overseas travelers, easing Covid controls
For more than two years, overseas travelers have had to quarantine upon arrival in China because of Covid restrictions. Pictured here at Beijing International Airport on June 18, 2022, are passengers ...
Travelers return to Southeast Asia but inflation could hurt recovery
After more than two years of lockdowns and border controls, Southeast Asia is finally experiencing some semblance of the old days of travel. Flights are steadily returning to 2019 levels in the region...
Here’s what China’s Alibaba and Kuaishou say about the economy
Across five major e-commerce platforms’ GMV, Alibaba’s market share fell by 6% in the first quarter versus the fourth, according to Bernstein analysis. Str | Afp | Getty Images BEIJING — A...
May retail, industrial production, fixed asset investment
BEIJING — China released economic data for May that topped muted expectations for a month hampered by Covid controls. Industrial production rose mildly by 0.7% in May from a year ago, versus an expect...
Luxury brands say China’s latest Covid wave whacked consumer demand
China’s retail sales plunged 11.1% in April from a year ago as Covid controls kept many people at home and malls closed. Pictured here is a luxury store in Shanghai on June 4, 2022, just a few d...
Nearly all factories in Shanghai resume work as Covid controls ease
German automaker Volkswagen is one of state-owned automaker SAIC’s foreign partners in China. Pictured here on June 7, 2022, is the joint venture’s factory in Shanghai. Qilai Shen | Bloomb...
Latest Shanghai quarantines add more pressure to global supply chain
Staff members of China Post unload parcels of daily necessities for residents quarantined at home from a minivan on May 14, 2022 in Shanghai, China. Tian Yuhao | China News Service | Getty Images The ...
Buffett disciple Mohnish Pabrai names his favorite investing books
Looking to invest in stocks with long-term value? Veteran investor Mohnish Pabrai has two books to recommend. Speaking to CNBC Pro Talks, Pabrai — a value investor and disciple of billionaire Warren B...
Travelers can now go to Japan but domestic tourists remain its focus
After more than two years of closed border policies, Japan is set to welcome back international travelers this week. Come June 10, foreign tourists traveling via packaged tours can enter Japan. Howeve...
China tries to shake off the worst of the pandemic
A handful of tourists visit the normally packed Yuyuan Garden during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday on June 4, 2022, in Shanghai, where authorities are allowing a return to normal life and business ...
Self-driving car companies’ first step to making money isn’t robotaxis
A WeRide robotaxi with health supplies heads to Liwan district on June 4, 2021, in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Southern Metropolis Daily | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — While...
China faces a nearly $1 trillion funding gap. It will need more debt to fill it.
During the first four months of the year, investment in real estate development fell by 2.7% from a year ago. Pictured here is a project in Qingzhou, Shandong province, on May 15, 2022. CFOTO | Future...
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger takes stake in Australian design company Canva
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger has acquired a stake in Australian design company Canva and agreed to be an advisor to the closely held company. “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Bob Iger as...
India needs to fill China gaps to become the “pharmacy of the world”
India has embarked on an ambitious plan to cut dependence on China for key raw materials as it seeks to become self-sufficient in its quest to be the “pharmacy of the world.” Varun Singh B...
Recovering despite lack of Chinese visitors
Air travel in Singapore is recovering and has reached around 40% of pre-Covid levels despite China’s border restrictions, Transport Minister S. Iswaran said. China’s passenger traffic is s...
Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com post slowest revenue growth on record
Alibaba, whose headquarters are pictured here on May 26, said its online physical goods GMV in China, excluding unpaid orders, fell further in April, with a “low teens” decline from a year...
Why China will likely recover more slowly from the latest Covid shock
As Shanghai tries to reopen businesses, one downtown district over the weekend banned residents from leaving their apartment complexes again for mass virus testing. Pictured here, in another district ...
China is second-biggest bitcoin mining hub as miners go underground
By September 2021, China made up just over 22% of the total bitcoin mining market, according to Cambridge University research. Paul Ratje | The Washington Post | Getty Images Bitcoin miners aren’...
Goldman Sachs cuts its China GDP forecast on Covid controls
Since March, mainland China has struggled to contain its worst Covid outbreak in two years. Notably, the metropolis of Shanghai, pictured here on May 18, only started this week to begin discussing res...
Strong air travel recovery in US, Europe, Latin America but Asia lags
International air travel has been making a strong recovery this year, with the exception of the Asia-Pacific region, which is “lagging significantly behind,” according to the International...
Some factories might leave China, but big picture it doesn’t matter
China still holds the cards for global supply chains, whether or not Covid lockdowns frustrate businesses in the near term. An employee works on the production line of the screens for 5G smartphones a...
Covid lockdowns weigh on retail, industrial production data
The persistent spread of Covid and resulting stay-home orders — primarily in Shanghai — forced factories to close or operate at limited capacity in April. Pictured here on May 12 is a refrigerator fac...