fiscal policy

THE BROAD VIEW

The weak yen and the weakening US dollar are signs of financial fragility

But neither Japan nor America should meddle with exchange rates

With gross public debt around 240% of GDP, Japan has long tested the outer limits of fiscal sustainability without crisis.

The return of fiscal dominance

As public debt rises and trade fades as a growth engine, central banks risk losing the independence that underpins global financial stability

Citi expects that the free meals programme will be able to reach its full scale of 83 million beneficiaries by early second quarter, pushing costs to about 300 trillion rupiah.

Citi says Indonesia may breach 3% legal cap on deficit this year

The projection comes after South-east Asia’s biggest economy recorded a 2.9% of GDP budget shortfall in 2025

The priorities of Singapore's 4G leadership – led by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong – should become clearer in 2026.
OUTLOOK 2026

Transition in full swing: The 4G leadership’s direction and Budget 2026 priorities

With the election over, the focus may be on long-term issues such as climate change and the ageing population

A shopping mall in Beijing. China will boost consumption and actively expand investment in new productive forces and people's overall development, says its finance ministry.

China’s finance ministry says fiscal policies will be more ‘proactive’ in 2026

[SHANGHAI] China’s finance ministry on Sunday (Dec 28) said fiscal policies will be more proactive next year, reiterating its focus on domestic demand, technological innovation and a social safety net...

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said that the Budget increases allocations for key policy measures and takes fiscal discipline into account.

Japan proposes record Budget spending while curbing fresh debt

The 122.3 trillion yen Budget will likely underpin consumption but could also accelerate inflation

The contraction in budget spending also indicates that fresh stimulus added since late September will likely take time to trickle through the economy.

China dials back budget spending by most in over four years

The move suggests authorities are leaning towards containing debt risks now that Beijing’s growth target of around 5% looks safely within reach

Last year, British finance minister Rachel Reeves imposed a big tax rise on employers’ social security contributions to raise money for infrastructure spending, which hurt business confidence.

UK’s CBI tells Reeves to break tax promises and build fiscal headroom

[LONDON] British finance minister Rachel Reeves should break election pledges not to raise taxes on working people so she can build “real fiscal headroom” in her budget this month, the Confederation o...

Rachel Reeves - despite raising taxes by about £40 billion (S$69.2 billion) in her first budget last year - is probably £22 billion off course to meet her rule that day-to-day spending is in balance with tax revenues by the end of the decade, the IFS estimated.

UK’s Reeves should go big on tax increases in November, think tank says

[LONDON] British finance minister Rachel Reeves should raise taxes by a lot in next month’s budget to exit the “Groundhog Day scenario” of continuously having to find measures to patch up the public f...

Yasuto Watanabe, director of the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office and former senior deputy vice-minister of finance in Japan, says the use of local currencies in cross-border trade can be supplementary.

Asean+3 macro research office wants to be ‘gym trainer’, not doctor, for region’s economies

The focus should be on practical solutions that cater to the member economies’ realities, says Amro chief, Yasuto Watanabe