Japan’s election, Greenland’s takeover and Asia’s market resilience

Global markets navigated another volatile week, with snap elections in Japan rattling government bonds and fresh geopolitical threats from Washington briefly unsettling investors. Yet once again, markets recovered quickly.  In this episode of Market Focus Weekly, host Emily Liu speaks with Pete Tan, portfolio manager at PhillipCapital, about how investors are pricing political risk in an era of constant uncertainty. The discussion spans Japan’s bond sell-off, resilient Asian equities, and why markets increasingly shrug off geopolitical shocks.

Why listen

• Japan’s political wildcard What’s at stake in Japan’s snap elections, and why rising debt and fiscal stimulus are pushing long-dated bond yields higher.

• Bond volatility and opportunity Why Japanese government bonds (JBGs) are suddenly attracting investor interest — and what Singapore investors should watch as JGBs begin trading on SGX.

• Markets vs geopolitics Why the latest US-Greenland tariff threats barely rattled markets, and how investors are learning to trade political U-turns.

• Asia’s equity resilience Why Asian stock markets are rallying even as regional currencies weaken against the US dollar.

• China’s AI momentum Is the surge in Chinese tech and AI-related stocks a short-term trade, or part of a deeper structural shift?

Subscribe and listen to more episodes of Market Focus Weekly from The Business Times. Feedback and questions can be sent to btpodcasts@sph.com.sg.

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Written and hosted by: Emily Liu (emilyliu@sph.com.sg)

With Pete Tan, portfolio manager, PhillipCapital

Edited by: Chai Pei Chieh & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Emily Liu & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

SEE ALSO

How much political risk is the market really pricing in?

Asia’s stocks jump early, and investors are asking if it will last

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