Hong Kong's economy is under attack from all sides -- from a $270 billion residential and office property price slump in the past five years to a retail sector reeling under pressure from mainland China competition. What will it take for the city to regain its gusto? Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking, joins John Lee and Katia Dmitrieva on the Asia Centric podcast to share his take on where Hong Kong is heading. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...
Jun 25, 2024•20 min
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forecast to win his country’s election by a landslide, but was instead forced to form a coalition government and share power with allies for the first time since coming to power in 2014. So how will the shock election result affect India’s growth trajectory? And what does it mean for its red-hot equity markets? Abhishek Gupta, India Economist at Bloomberg Economics, and Nitin Chanduka, India Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, join John Lee and Ishika Mo...
Jun 14, 2024•18 min
The 2024 US election is set to be a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, setting the stage for a heated several months. So why should investors across Asia start tuning into the election run-up? And is there any hope of salvaging the US-China relationship with either candidate? David Chao, Global Market Strategist (Asia Pacific) at Invesco, joins co-hosts John Lee and Katia Dmitrieva with his insights on what the US election could mean for Asian markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...
Jun 05, 2024•18 min
Success-hungry finance professionals have been gorging on India's boom, which shimmers with stories of multi-million dollar trading jobs, and private bankers demanding jackpot pay increases as they sell their talents to the highest bidder. Is India's moment really here? What are the challenges finance companies face in expanding into the subcontinent? Anil Sharma, Managing Partner of recruitment firm Options Group, calls in from Mumbai, joining co-hosts John Lee and Ishika Mookerjee on the lates...
May 23, 2024•23 min
What will it take to get global investors excited about China again? Is India still the best growth story for the next decade? And will corporate governance reform and inflation continue to power Japanese equities? One of Asia's most experienced investment strategists, Christopher Wood, global equity strategist at Jefferies and author of the widely-read "Greed and Fear" newsletter since 1996, remains an insightful and sought-after voice in global investing. He joins co-hosts John Lee and Tom Cor...
May 16, 2024•28 min
Chronic conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, stubborn global inflation, soaring military spending, and persistent tension with China haven’t stopped stocks from marching higher. Are stocks ignoring geopolitical risk? Is a new investment narrative emerging? How can investors profit from the remarkable global growth in defense spending? Sean Darby, equity strategist at Mizuho Securities shares his ideas and perspectives with co-hosts John Lee and Tom Corbett on the latest episode of Asia Centr...
May 09, 2024•25 min
China’s property crisis, its stock market swings and falling prices have dealt a body blow to Chinese consumers' confidence, and shock waves from their retrenchment are shaking up some of the world’s biggest luxury brands. Is China's new retail frugality here to stay? Or will its once-freewheeling consumer spending roar back with a vengeance? Bloomberg Intelligence's senior consumer analysts Catherine Lim and Deborah Aitken join co-hosts John Lee and Tom Corbett with their insights on how China'...
Apr 25, 2024•23 min
A chill has overcome the once-red hot electric-vehicle market. Demand is slowing, competition is growing, cash-strapped consumers are skeptical, and the EV market outlook is uncertain. Tesla has become the poster child for the industry’s ordeals, with slowing sales, a tumbling stock price, and China’s economic woes all converging into a grim picture. But other EV makers are also struggling, and the road ahead could be rough. What will it take to bring back the thrill to EVs? How is BYD -- China’...
Apr 11, 2024•24 min
The world’s stock markets have made a routine of breaking records, with the Nikkei 225, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all spending 2024’s first quarter soaring into uncharted territory. Exuberance is abundant, but so are the risks. Are the world’s equity markets rising too far too fast? Is it time to revisit safe-haven assets? And is the classic 60/40 asset allocation model still relevant today? From Paris, Jean-Charles Bertrand, Global Multi-Asset Chief Investment Officer at HSBC Asset Managem...
Mar 27, 2024•24 min
The rush to board the AI bandwagon has powered America’s Magnificent Seven stocks to a level of investor excitement not seen since the 1990s dot-com bubble. Is artificial intelligence for real? How does the Magnificent Seven rank in terms of AI monetization? Can Asia tech stocks keep pace with their American counterparts? Mandeep Singh, Global Head of Technology Research at Bloomberg Intelligence and Robert Lea, Senior Asia Technology Analyst join co-hosts John Lee and Tom Corbett for an insight...
Mar 14, 2024•25 min
A sea change is afoot in South Korea, where a new corporate governance code promises to overhaul the country’s business dynamics. Some believe that could help its stocks shake off the so-called “Korea Discount” as it tears a page from Japan’s playbook in a bid to mimic the Nikkei 225’s rejuvenation. Investors have taken notice and have channelled more than $8 billion into Korean stocks during January and February 2024 as they seek to cash in. Can South Korea’s new boldness shake up its rigid cor...
Mar 01, 2024•25 min
China's challenges are snowballing. From its slumping stock market to its property crisis, to a generation lying flat, the outlook is daunting, and easy fixes are unlikely. The world's second largest economy also faces structural problems, including a shrinking population, high household debt and low consumer confidence. How will China's tough choices shape the road ahead, and what are the implications for the rest of the global economy? Hao Hong, Chief Economist at Grow Investment Group joins c...
Feb 07, 2024•24 min
Evergrande has become the mother of all casualties in China’s real estate crisis, crumbling under the weight of its own debt, and leaving homebuyers and investors reeling. The latest twist in the Evergrande saga came this week when a Hong Kong judge ordered the property giant liquidated. The ruling comes more than two years after the developer first defaulted on a bond payment. Can Evergrande’s bondholders ever be made whole? What will it take to restore confidence in China’s property market? An...
Feb 02, 2024•18 min
The attacks on cargo vessels plying the Red Sea have delivered the biggest blow to global trade since the Covid-19 pandemic. Drones, missiles, and gunfire from Houthi rebels are sending ships on costly and time consuming detours around Africa. Container ships are bearing the brunt of the impact, and the ensuing delays and soaring costs threaten to upend supply chains and rekindle the fires of inflation. China might also have the most at stake. How bad could the crisis get? How are global shippin...
Jan 26, 2024•22 min
Taiwan’s hotly contested presidential election was cast as a stark choice between two different destinies, but for the island’s voters, relations with mainland China are just part of the picture. Economic growth, jobs, and a path to prosperity are big issues for Taiwan’s more than 23 million people, especially its young adults, who’ve come of age facing the risk of conflict, a changing identity, and an uncertain future. How likely is Taiwan to find itself at the center of a wider conflict? How m...
Jan 18, 2024•27 min
Asia’s investors are staring at a potential watershed year in 2024, which promises turning points, stumbling blocks, opportunities, and more than a few surprises. Falling rates appear likely, but when, how fast and how far the U.S. central bank will cut has investors guessing, with implications for Asian currencies, bonds and equities. Can China recapture the animal spirits that once made it the darling of western investors? Or will Japan and Southeast Asia continue to steal the spotlight? And w...
Dec 21, 2023•26 min
Family offices -- they’re the secretive, go-anywhere asset managers that quietly steward fortunes for the ultra-rich. In Asia, Singapore has emerged as the new family office hot spot, wooing captains of industry, crypto whales, and Chinese billionaires with low taxes, favorable regulations, a business-friendly environment, and safety and security. The island has become home to more than 1,100 family offices, which manage more than $4 trillion in assets. Why is Singapore such a draw for the world...
Dec 08, 2023•23 min
India has emerged as the hot, new growth opportunity for global investors. It's the world’s most populous country, and largest democracy. It’s home to a demographic swath of 600 million people younger than 30, and a booming economy growing by 7-8% a year. India’s energy and opportunity have made it a magnet for foreign capital, leaving many convinced that the highest-quality growth is yet to come. But is India's growth story the real deal? Is it at a tipping point too promising to ignore? Or is ...
Nov 24, 2023•26 min
Global real estate investors have been navigating a treacherous path, with many wondering where the markets will go next. In Hong Kong, interest rates have crushed home prices, sending some mortgages under water while its once jam-packed commercial real estate market struggles to fill space. When might the real estate winds shift? Will rates carry property values higher or lower? Where are the risks and opportunities? And is it really different this time? Veteran Hong Kong property consultant Pe...
Nov 14, 2023•28 min
So-called weight-loss drugs are generating waves of hope and hype. Names such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro fall breathlessly from the lips of social media influencers, bringing promise and possibility to the one billion people the World Health Organization says suffer from obesity. Investors are already buying in, sending the market caps of Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly soaring into the ranks of the world’s most valuable companies. Are these obesity drugs a fat-fighting panacea? Could they make ...
Oct 27, 2023•20 min
Chinese shopping apps are shaking up online retail, with fast-fashion leader Shein and viral sensation discounter Temu setting the pace. Both are powering China’s exports by letting overseas consumers buy everything from clothing to digital gadgets directly from manufacturers, and at bargain prices few brick-and-mortar retailers can beat. Their flashy websites, aggressive marketing, and social media know-how help drive their breakneck growth. Could Shein be the future of fast-fashion retail? Is ...
Oct 18, 2023•27 min
US-led sanctions on Chinese tech firms were meant to put a barrier between China and the cutting-edge of smartphone know-how. Little wonder, then, that Huawei drew a collective gasp when it revealed its new smartphone -- the Mate 60 Pro -- is powered by a homegrown, China-made processor. Almost overnight, the world woke up to the reality that China’s tech savvy was more advanced than many believed, giving global tensions a new sense of urgency. Where does the U.S.-China relationship go from here...
Sep 29, 2023•27 min
Hong Kong’s niche as a social and economic crossroads has framed its legend for decades. Now, a new generation of eager, young professionals from mainland China is rushing to Hong Kong to pursue similar dreams, filling the gap left behind by the city’s dwindling ranks of western expats. Their presence signals a seismic shift toward the city’s “mainlandization” and heralds the emergence of a compelling new chapter in Hong Kong’s history. What’s driving this watershed change? What will it mean for...
Sep 15, 2023•24 min
The drumbeat of headlines about China resembles a litany of gloom and pessimism. A crisis in its property sector, high youth unemployment, faltering economic growth and soaring local government debt have raised questions about the future of the once-unstoppable Chinese juggernaut. Are China’s days as an economic powerhouse a thing of the past? Louis Kuijs, Asia-Pacific chief economist at S&P Global Ratings and a veteran China observer shines a light on what he believes lies ahead as he share...
Sep 01, 2023•27 min
Country Garden was once considered a leader among China's property developers. Now, a missed bond payment has turned it into the latest poster child for all that's wrong with the country's housing market. Developers saddled with too much debt, not enough cash, faltering sales, nervous buyers and anxious creditors all add up to a renewed crisis of confidence. The ripple effect could reverberate beyond China's borders, bearing strong echoes of the crisis that engulfed its rival, Evergrande, in 202...
Aug 21, 2023•31 min
Asia's ETF industry continues to shake up the investment landscape, attracting $65 billion in inflows so far in 2023 to an impressive $1.3 trillion in assets under management. Asia's retail investors are giddy about artificial intelligence, but other themes such as K-Pop and the Metaverse give Asia's ETFs an entertaining twist with a dash of FOMO. Rebecca Sin, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence joins hosts John Lee and Tom Corbett to discuss all things ETFs, including her take about th...
Aug 10, 2023•27 min
Asia’s currency markets are struggling to make sense of a global economy in transition. Rising US interest rates stir risks of recession while falling rates in China reflect growing urgency to give its recovery greater traction. Meanwhile, investors are treading cautiously, ever-wary of pitfalls ranging from China’s beleaguered property sector to South Korea’s household debt. Where does this leave the currency outlook for Southeast Asia and emerging markets? Where are the opportunities? Do the r...
Jul 20, 2023•23 min
The Russia-Ukraine War is forcing governments to rethink their conceptions of conflict, the role of technology and military spending. Will AI and technology reshape the global balance of power? Can the US and China make the hard choices to keep global business prosperous? Kevin Brand, Bloomberg Intelligence aerospace and defence analyst and 30-year US Navy veteran, joins hosts John Lee and Tom Corbett for a discussion on the future of war. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 06, 2023•25 min
Japan is back on money managers' radar screens, with Warren Buffett leading a wave of resurgent investor interest in its growth prospects. But some say investing in Japan carries risks. Years of zero interest rates and an aging population are just a few of the barriers standing between the world's third largest economy, and a new era of growth and prosperity, powered by new ideas and structural reform. Can Japan deliver on investors' expectations? Or is the rest of the world expecting too much t...
Jun 21, 2023•29 min
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has shaken up the tech world with eye popping potential to change the way we work, live and do business. Some estimate AI's business opportunity as high as the billions, even trillions of dollars. But can the AI genie deliver on the hype? What are the potential environmental risks? And could China mount a challenge for supremacy? Join hosts John Lee, Tom Corbett and Bloomberg Intelligence senior technology analyst Woo Jin Ho for an engaging tour of AI's remarkable po...
Jun 08, 2023•27 min
