POLITICS THAT MATTER

Growth and stability in the storm: steering Asean economies together

South-east Asia is shifting from the politics of expansion to questions of allocation

As has been widely reported, China entered this crisis with about 1.3 billion barrels in combined strategic petroleum reserves.
THINKING ALOUD

Don’t expect any Gulf oil breakthroughs from Trump-Xi meeting

Strait of Hormuz will certainly be on the summit agenda, but China is not facing energy desperation as some argue

The Hormuz closure sharpens the logic behind renewables by reframing it as domestic supply; making system flexibility and resilience a policy priority; and accelerating electrification economics.
THE BOTTOM LINE

From Hormuz to home-grown power: Why the Middle East crisis strengthens the case for investing in Asia renewables

Forward-looking investors are backing companies that can orchestrate the entire energy system

China President Xi Jinping (right) and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Their countries remain at odds over border issues and Brics' strategic direction.

Brics+ wall has growing Middle East cracks

At the upcoming Brics Foreign Ministers meeting, New Delhi will seek to shift the bloc towards greater geoeconomic focus

While Grab has captured a significant chunk of South-east Asian consumers’ everyday lives, that involvement is unlikely to be appreciated by its US investors.
HOCK LOCK SIEW

Grab should consider a Singapore dual listing on SGX

Beyond an uplift to investor recognition, the company could also benefit from EQDP funds

Chinese brands are making up for the removal of rebates and tax incentives with profit-crimping concessions of their own. For BYD, net profit per car has slipped about a third from a peak in late 2023, estimate analysts.

BYD and peers make strides in every market but their own

Beijing is switching its attention to newer sectors such as AI and robotics

LNG may find a way to soldier on as a raw material for the chemicals industry, but prospects for the roughly 40% that goes into power generation look bleak.

Why US$70 should be the most worrying number for LNG

The number is a decent approximation for the price of LNG-fired electricity from an existing plant

US President Donald Trump's positions have forced into focus a collision of economic, trade and strategic imbalances that are reshaping the global order, says the writer.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

The collision of imbalances shaping a more contested world – and why tariffs are not the answer

Uneven gains and strategic tensions are driving politics and fuelling scepticism towards globalisation

A study found that while using AI helped physicians to produce treatment plans faster, oncologists soon started second-guessing their own instincts.
THINKING ALOUD

The 10-minute AI lobotomy is here

Are productivity gains worth the cost of a mindless workforce?