Rethinking Matters

RETHINKING MATTERS

Will the Iran conflict end in checkmate or stalemate?

An Israeli artillery unit firing towards Lebanon on Mar 17. Emerging and Asia-focused markets have fallen some 5% to 9% since the crisis erupted on Feb 28.
RETHINKING MATTERS

The Iran war: Will it stay? Or will it go now?

Portfolio flows into Asian local currency bonds and equities are projected to remain robust, with foreign portfolio inflows highly likely to recover further in 2026 amid a benign economic environment.
RETHINKING MATTERS

Asia’s 2026 outlook: resilient growth amid policy shifts, global risks

Workers transporting soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China.
RETHINKING MATTERS

China’s Fourth Plenum – planning or prepping?

Many of Japan’s longer-dated government bond yields have recently spiked and are now at – or close to – record highs. This has created a rare moment of flexibility for Japanese investors who now enjoy the luxury of choice: invest domestically or abroad – without surrendering yield.
RETHINKING MATTERS

The great sucking sound: Japan’s capital shifts

Despite the tumultuous backdrop of US trade policy, US equities in the first half rebounded more strongly than anticipated.
RETHINKING MATTERS

Plain sailing and successful investing

It is entirely possible – even likely – that the US’ trading partners do not fully buy into Trump’s “trade distortion” narrative; yet such is their need for continued, unfettered access to the US consumer market that concessions will likely be made, and reciprocity around tariffs on US imports into their countries enacted.
RETHINKING MATTERS

Trump’s tariffs end Asia’s era of fence-sitting

Hong Kong’s role as China’s financial gateway gives it both a role and an edge, certainly in the ability to offer local companies liquidity for financing purposes.
RETHINKING MATTERS

Hong Kong – Canary in a goldmine

A container port in Jiangsu, China. The country's external dependency is sobering – over the last five years, exports have been critical in offsetting the property sector's collapse and weak consumption.
RETHINKING MATTERS

Blinkmanship

The Port Of Long Beach, California.  A trade war triggered by President Trump’s tariffs alone could result in a US$1 trillion hit to the US economy over the next decade, according to the latest analysis from Yale University’s Budget Lab.
RETHINKING MATTERS

Liberation Day for USA Ltd