Japan’s economy was hit hard as it unexpectedly contracted once again in the October-December period, pushing the country into a technical recession. The provisional government data revealed that high inflation has crimped domestic demand and private consumption, posing a significant challenge for Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda in normalizing interest rates and for Japanese
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Inflation concerns continue to rattle global markets as the Asia-Pacific region witnessed a downturn following Wall Street’s losses. The U.S. January inflation exceeded expectations, with the consumer price index (CPI) climbing 3.1% on a 12-month basis and 0.3% for the month. This article explores the repercussions of higher inflation on Asia-Pacific markets, highlighting the decline
The stock market has experienced significant gains in recent months, prompting investors to debate whether these gains can be sustained until the end of the year. According to Ludovic Subran, the chief economist at Allianz, if central banks implement interest rate cuts later than expected, the current stock gains will prevail. In this article, we
The stock market began the week on a positive note, following last week’s strong performance. Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average reached new all-time highs, signaling optimism among investors. The broad market index was up 0.3%, while the Dow gained 195 points, or 0.5%. The Nasdaq Composite also saw a 0.3% increase.
The Abu Mustafa family finds themselves in a desperate situation. Their tent is situated alongside a daunting concrete and metal fence that separates Gaza from Egypt in Rafah. Although Rafah has been the last relatively safe place in an enclave decimated by Israel’s brutal military offensive, it may soon face its own destruction. As more
As the highly-anticipated February 14 election approaches in Indonesia, the country’s presidential candidates are vying for the attention and support of voters on social media platforms. With 56.5% of the electorate consisting of millennials and Gen Z, the use of social media for political campaigning has skyrocketed. Among the various platforms, TikTok, with its 125
The international beauty giant, L’Oreal, experienced a significant drop in shares recently, prompting concerns about the overall health of the luxury beauty industry. The company’s reported lower-than-expected sales and a slowdown in demand in Asia have raised questions about the factors affecting consumer spending and the sustainability of the sector as a whole. L’Oreal’s fourth-quarter
Google recently announced a major rebranding of its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot and assistant, Bard. The new brand name is Gemini, which aligns with the suite of AI models that power the chatbot. This rebranding effort reflects Google’s dedication to advancing AI assistants or agents as powerful productivity tools. The company aims to provide users
DBS Group, Southeast Asia’s largest bank, recently announced record earnings for the full year in 2023, reaching a net profit of SG$10.3 billion, a 26% increase compared to the previous year. However, despite this success, the bank made the decision to significantly reduce the variable compensation of its senior management as a means of holding
Most Asia-Pacific markets experienced declines on Tuesday, following a downward trend in Wall Street. These market movements were driven by investor anticipation of the interest rate decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia later in the day. Twenty-nine economists, who were surveyed by Reuters, unanimously predicted that the RBA would maintain rates at 4.35%. This