Economics/All

March 15, 2010

Economics/All

Medvedev plays down power role

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev argues that economic growth driven by exports of fuel and other commodities is losing its relevance for the country. Yet as he watches gas monopoly Gazprom decline from its past glories and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin tout a doubtful pipeline, he knows that with the opening of the US$98 billion Yukos trial in Europe, the power game in Moscow is far from over.

- Pavel K Baev (Mar 12, '10)

Reko Diq at melting point

The Pakistan government is seeking to attach copper smelting to the US$3 billion Reko Diq copper and gold mine project in Pakistan's impoverished Balochistan province. The finances don't make sense, according to would-be miner Tethyan Copper.

- Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Mar 11, '10)

China lassoes its neighbors

The China-ASEAN Free-Trade Area, which came into effect in January, should boost China's trade with its neighbors. It will also likely erode Southeast Asia's industry and agriculture. Smaller economies in the region are already paying what will be a big price for a bad deal.

- Walden Bello (Mar 11, '10)

Job creation squeezed

Private-sector jobs are the lifeblood of a sound economy, yet the US administration is raising taxes on business owners, monopolizing credit and increasing business regulations. If this continues, the giant sucking sound of jobs heading overseas will only grow louder.

- Peter Schiff (Mar 11, '10)

China assesses its gold strategy

A key issue addressed by Chinese leaders at the National People's Congress this week is whether to let the country's currency rise to help restructure the domestic economy and rebalance the global economy. An important factor will be the role gold will play within the basket of China's reserves.

- Russell Hsiao (Mar 10, '10)

No exit

Countries that make up the Group of 20 insist that there can be no exit from crisis-fighting policies until economic recovery has been fully established. But as these policies may have helped cause the problem, is escape from crisis possible with them still in place?

- Hossein Askari and Noureddine Krichene (Mar 10, '10)

South Korea back on track

The South Korean economy, whose recovery from the global financial crisis faltered in January, is back on course, helped by China's strong demand for Korean products. But remaining uncertainties mean the private sector is not yet capable of growing on its own, according to Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun.

- Robert M Cutler (Mar 09, '10)

US ponders China's Southeast Asian rise

China's recent growth has entwined its economy more closely with those of neighbors in Southeast Asia, a trend strengthened by a free-trade agreement that came into effect this year. That is encouraging a re-evaluation in the United States of what this means for its own role in the region.

- Peter J Brown (Mar 09, '10)

The great game - asset-trader style

The United States financial industry, with a US$10 billion advertising budget, is turning its friendly-faced focus on women, increasingly the family decision-makers. Yet the love and desire to help the American public evident in the commercials is often in short supply within the industry's practitioners. The game is, after all, about making money. Lots of it.

- Julian Delasantellis (Mar 09, '10)

THE BEAR'S LAIR

Accelerator jammed

The retirement of US Federal Reserve vice chairman Donald Kohn means the Fed will now be loaded with extreme soft-money advocates, ensuring the money throttle will be jammed open, with only modest interest-rate increases, until 2013. Chairman Ben Bernanke and his new cohort are about to give Americans a painful object lesson in the wilder forms of soft monetary policy.

- Martin Hutchinson (Mar 09, '10)

Philippines catches recovery wave

The global economic recovery is driving a pick-up in jobs in the Philippines business processing outsourcing sector, with the benefits spreading to increased office demand. Yet calls are growing for reforms to help the country compete better with rivals such as India and Thailand.

- Jennee Grace U Rubrico (Mar 08, '10)

CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN

An off-limits bubble

United States government finance is today's unfolding bubble, yet while politicians talk tough for regulatory reform of the financial markets, this is one bubble off-limits for such reform. There will be no serious effort to rein in deficits, while markets know they've got policymakers right where they want them.

- Doug Noland (Mar 08, '10)

Wen plugs concerns over stimulus exit

China faces a "complicated situation'' through which to steer an economy emerging from the effects of global economic slowdown, although conditions have improved since the dark days of last year, Premier Wen Jiabao has told the National People's Congress. A pledge to maintain 8% growth and policy momentum to boost economic turnaround mean Beijing is unlikely to close the taps on fiscal stimulus unless inflation concerns overwhelm.

- Olivia Chung (Mar 05, '10)

CHAN AKYA

The blame game

European governments scrabbling for a way to resolve the Greek debt crisis are focusing on the role played by peddlers of credit default swaps. Money was certainly there to be made by those who anticipated events, but government energies could be better spent. As that ancient Greek, Sophocles, put it, no one loves the messenger who brings bad news, but that's no reason to shoot him.

- Chan Akya (Mar 05, '10)

Kaesong holds value-added role for both Koreas

As legislators in Seoul and Washington hold back from ratifying a free-trade agreement, and the United States struggles to resolve its nuclear-weapons impasse with North Korea, the Kaesong Industrial Complex may offer negotiators on peninsular issues something far more than its present function of creating northern jobs and southern profits.

- Andray Abrahamian (Mar 04, '10)

Start
Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next
End

Login

Medvedev plays down power role

Reko Diq at melting point

China lassoes its neighbors

Job creation squeezed

China assesses its gold strategy

No exit

South Korea back on track

US ponders China's Southeast Asian rise

The great game - asset-trader style

THE BEAR'S LAIR

Accelerator jammed

Philippines catches recovery wave

CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN

An off-limits bubble

Wen plugs concerns over stimulus exit

CHAN AKYA

The blame game

Kaesong holds value-added role for both Koreas

Contents

Customize ATOL:

Your Customized Pages

Your News

Your Business

Community Links

Columns

Services

Info