The US economy appears indestructible. Since the Great Financial Crisis in 2008-09 and throughout the following downturns including the pandemic, consumption quickly bounced back, the labor market tightened and equity markets outperformed peers. This strength had investors coining the term “US exceptionalism” as it increasingly seemed that the greenback and other assets were the best game in town. But risks are building, from China’s DeepSeek cooling demand for AI stocks in the US to President D...
Feb 26, 2025•34 min
The aviation industry has suffered numerous setbacks recently, from tragic accidents to production delays and quality issues at manufacturer Boeing. There are also looming challenges including slower economic growth globally that may curb spending and demand. But one corner of the industry has been thriving since the pandemic – aircraft leasing. Tim Bacchus, a veteran analyst with more than 30 years of experience in the aviation space, believes that profits in the aircraft leasing industry – the...
Feb 19, 2025•36 min
China, the world's second-largest economy, is facing a demographics crisis. Its population fell in 2024 for the third straight year and is projected to halve by the end of the century, while marriages – tightly linked to childbirth in the country – plunged to a record low. The trend of declining birthrates and an aging population, which threatens the labor market and growth, comes even after the government lifted its one-child policy and added a raft of measures to support families. Bloomberg In...
Feb 12, 2025•25 min
After many months of threats, the US has imposed 10% tariffs on all Chinese goods coming into the country and China retaliated immediately, launching an investigation into Google and putting its own levies on a range of American goods including LNG. Thus begins a new era of protectionism. The tariffs and any additional moves are set to slow economic growth in China, which is already struggling to boost consumer spending, reboot its property sector and lure more foreign investment. This is likely...
Feb 05, 2025•41 min
Investing in Asia after its financial crisis of 1997, or in the US following the dot-com bubble or the GFC, would have delivered good performance over the following decade, says Daniel Rupp, CIO and founder of Parkway Capital. Daniel joins John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast to discuss why he launched an Asia-focused long-only fund at the beginning of 2024 – at the height of investor pessimism toward China. He also sees vast stock picking opportunities across the region and discusses why active...
Jan 22, 2025•26 min
Donald Trump is set to disrupt trade across Asia in a repeat of his previous administration, but things are different this time around. He’s expanding his focus beyond China, targeting countries he says pose national security threats or have large trade deficits with the US. Many countries across Asia that benefited from the last trade war may find themselves in the crosshairs. In other words, it's set to be a lot more complicated this time. Sonal Varma, chief economist Asia ex-Japan at Nomura S...
Jan 15, 2025•28 min
Financial markets have been captivated by AI's opportunities since the launch of ChatGPT two years ago. Huge investments have flowed into established chip companies and the hyperscalers that make the infrastructure supporting AI – from Nvidia and TSMC to Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon. But what about the frontier companies that could flourish as AI enters a new era? And why is Asia an ideal petri dish for this activity? Esther Wong, founder of 3C AGI Partners, one of Asia's first AI-focused vent...
Jan 08, 2025•31 min
South Korea's short-lived martial law and impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol has shocked the world and crushed confidence in Asia's fourth-largest economy. Even before these events, the country was suffering from sluggish economic growth combined with the worst-performing stock market and currency in the region throughout 2024. What's next for South Korea's political process and what will it take to revive its financial markets? Hyosung Kwon, an economist at Bloomberg Economics in Seoul, joi...
Dec 18, 2024•24 min
It's that time of year when we look to what the next 12 months have in store. Currencies are set to weaken against a strong dollar, so which ones may provide a degree of safety? Equities outperformed in 2024 but tariffs hang over trade-sensitive countries and the tech and AI sectors may have peaked. Where can investors find the most value? And geopolitical risk and a new US-China trade war have yet to be fully priced into the market, so what does that mean for credit? Asia Centric convenes a pan...
Dec 11, 2024•31 min
Hong Kong nightlife isn't what it used to be, with fewer revelers spending less than in the pre-pandemic boom – indicative, perhaps, of wider political and demographic changes taking place in the city. Yet entertainment and property mogul Allan Zeman – known as the “father of Lan Kwai Fong” after the bar area he established in the 1980s – remains upbeat and optimistic. Despite business being slower and rents lower, he welcomes the influx of mainland visitors as new tenants adapt to the changes. ...
Dec 04, 2024•37 min
US President-elect Donald Trump is already providing a preview of what's to come for US-China relations when he enters the White House, appointing several China hawks to his team and vowing to impose additional tariffs. Stephen Roach, economist and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, believes the world should take Trump at his word over tariff threats and that it signals his second term could be more contentious than the first. Roach also defends his controversial comments earlier this year ...
Nov 27, 2024•34 min
Falling interest rates could spark a return to real estate M&A deals across the Asia-Pacific region, according to Ivy Ng, APAC Chief Investment Officer at DWS Group. Ng joins John Lee and Katia Dmitrieva on the Asia Centric podcast to break down where she sees the biggest opportunities and risks, and argues the worst may be over for the sector. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 20, 2024•32 min
President-elect Donald Trump's sweeping election victory and cabinet appointments point to more protectionist policies and market volatility, with broad implications for Asia. China is firmly in the crosshairs, but previous US efforts to contain its advance -- particularly in technology -- have largely faltered, according to Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg Intelligence. Tom Orlik, chief economist at Bloomberg Economics in Washington, D.C., joins John Lee and Katia Dmitrieva to outline what the...
Nov 13, 2024•20 min
Food trends across Asia are shifting rapidly with declining populations, wealthier consumers eating more meat and climate change upending supply and prices. China is set to be overtaken by India as the world's number one driver of food demand, according to the UN, further shifting the picture. Darin Friedrichs, co-founder of Sitonia Consulting, speaks with Bloomberg Intelligence's John Lee and Bloomberg News' Asia economics correspondent Katia Dmitrieva about how best to navigate the changes to ...
Nov 06, 2024•20 min
China could deploy more stimulus -- and officials have more policy space and tools to do so than many other major economies, according to Weijian Shan, Executive Chairman of PAG, an Asia-based investment firm with more than $55 billion in assets under management. Despite being bullish on China's growth prospects, Shan says the nation still needs to find a way to pivot toward the consumer. Shan, who grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution and later counted Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
Oct 30, 2024•48 min
Reports of active management's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Active continues to grow and evolve in ETFs while mutual funds prosper and define benefit plans. Bloomberg Intelligence strategy team uncover active opportunities and glean insights from active managers and those who cover the industry. Listen to Inside Active by Bloomberg Intelligence . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 26, 2024•1 min
Artificial intelligence is fueling demand for data centers across Asia, with capacity set to double in the next four years, according to Moody’s. Projesh Banerjea, KKR director and Southeast Asia infrastructure lead, joins John Lee and Katia Dmitrieva on the Asia Centric podcast to discuss how investors can best tap into that growth – and how it can get complicated. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 23, 2024•24 min
Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te gave his first National Day address last week, vowing he'd stand up to mainland China while maintaining the status quo of peace and stability. The speech elicited a swift response from Beijing, reminding investors of the ongoing geopolitical risks in the region. David Sacks, Asia Studies Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, speaks with John Lee from Bloomberg Intelligence and Katia Dmitrieva from Bloomberg News about key takeaways from the speech and what i...
Oct 16, 2024•28 min
People love their pets, so much in fact that the industry is set for serious growth as owners purchase higher-end goods and services. Not only are they upgrading the food they buy but are also embracing services such as healthcare and even elderly care for their beloved cats and dogs. Ada Li and Diana Rosero-Pena from Bloomberg Intelligence speak with Bloomberg News' Katia Dmitrieva to discuss where the industry is heading. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 09, 2024•21 min
The world's population is likely to peak in the next 60 years and nowhere is this trend felt more than Asia, with countries such as South Korea and Japan registering some of the lowest birth rates and oldest populations. Wei Li, Global Chief Investment Strategist at BlackRock, discusses the role demographics plays in investing and why it may be the most important megatrend. She joins John Lee of Bloomberg Intelligence and Katia Dmitrieva of Bloomberg News on the Asia Centric podcast. See omnystu...
Oct 02, 2024•27 min
Central banks got the green light to begin easing policy last week after the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates by more than expected. Officials across Asia have perhaps been the most eager to move lower, but in this new era, each country faces a different path forward for monetary policy. John Lee from Bloomberg Intelligence and Katia Dmitrieva from Bloomberg News speak with Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis SA, about what the Fed cut means for the region. Se...
Sep 25, 2024•27 min
AI has been hailed as a transformative technology with McKinsey estimating it could add $26 trillion to the global economy. While many investors have already jumped on the AI bandwagon, not everyone agrees. Daron Acemoglu, Institute Professor at MIT and author of books including Why Nations Fail, takes a critical look at AI and explains why the economic and social benefits may have been overstated. He joins John Lee of Bloomberg Intelligence and Katia Dmitrieva of Bloomberg News on the Asia Cent...
Sep 18, 2024•26 min
Shareholder activism is gaining traction in Japan, with the number of new campaigns surging by 70% in the first half of 2024. At the same time, homegrown activist funds are becoming more prominent in Japan’s corporate circles. Shuhei Furukawa, managing director and portfolio manager at Misaki Capital, and James Han, managing partner at Prodigies Group, join John Lee of Bloomberg Intelligence to discuss this growing trend and how it differs to what’s happening in the US. See omnystudio.com/listen...
Sep 11, 2024•21 min
India's economy is the darling of emerging markets, with a burgeoning middle class, a rising population and rapid growth set to outperform all large peers this year. But recent data suggest cracks are forming, with less government spending and a slowdown in factory output. Miguel Chanco, chief emerging Asia economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics and a long-time critic of India's growth story, joins hosts John Lee of Bloomberg Intelligence and Katia Dmitrieva of Bloomberg News to explain why he bel...
Sep 04, 2024•24 min
Hong Kong's wealth management is booming as rich mainland Chinese investors pour in funds. The city’s offshore wealth-under-management industry now amounts to more than $2.2 trillion, the second largest in the world, and is approaching Switzerland's level. What's driving these rich Chinese to invest overseas, and how will China's economic slump impact future flows? Lemuel Lee, Head of Wealth Management Hong Kong at BNP Paribas, and Sharnie Wong, Senior Financials Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligenc...
Aug 28, 2024•23 min
A rate hike from the Bank of Japan combined with weak US economic data coalesced to cause the biggest one-day sell off in stocks since 1987. What does this mean for monetary policy in Japan and the US? And how could investors position themselves for the uncertainty ahead? Gareth Nicholson, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Managed Investments at Nomura International Wealth Management, joins co-hosts John Lee and Katia Dmitrieva on the Asia Centric podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...
Aug 21, 2024•26 min
Uranium prices have skyrocketed as demand surges for nuclear power globally and traders fret about a potential shortage. China is Asia’s biggest user of nuclear energy, while countries such as Australia are still debating whether to embrace it. Investors have been piling into mining companies and uranium ETFs, but is this the best way to capitalize on the demand? And what are the risks to the seemingly bright outlook? Asia Centric hosts John Lee and Katia Dmitrieva discuss these issues with Mohs...
Aug 07, 2024•28 min
We're about halfway through the year and China's economy is still struggling to regain momentum after the housing bubble burst and consumers pulled back. A major policy meeting in China that wrapped last week did little to assuage concerns, with officials focused more on the long term. The US presidential election could have big implications for trade and tariffs. Andrew Tilton, chief economist for the APAC region at Goldman Sachs, joins host Katia Dmitrieva for a check-in on the world's second-...
Jul 25, 2024•19 min
Global investors are piling into Japan, betting the economy has finally broken out of its economic stagnation. How will the return of inflation transform the country’s economy and is it sustainable? Can Japan's efforts to improve its corporate governance meet high investor expectations? And what are the key industries investors should watch out for? Taro Kimura, Senior Japan Economist and former Bank of Japan veteran, and Takeshi Kitaura, Senior Industrials Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, joi...
Jul 17, 2024•21 min
China is building closer economic ties with the Gulf countries, with Saudi Arabian companies announcing deals to acquire stakes in Chinese firms including Lenovo and Hengli Petrochemical, while China is promising to build factories in the region. So how will this create investment opportunities? Can China help transform Saudi Arabia’s economy through its ambitious 2030 vision? And how will US-China tension impact the relationship? Ziad Daoud, Chief Emerging Markets Economist at Bloomberg Economi...
Jul 11, 2024•26 min
