Newspaper icon
The latest issue of Financial Standard now available as an e-newspaper
READ NOW

Search Results

Showing 81 - 90 of 2991 results for Benjamin Ong

Chief economist update: Europa rides the bull once again

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 9 APR 2021
Just like the myth of Europa, Eurozone equities are riding on the back of a bull. Eurozone equities soared to their highest levels in 13 years. The VStoxx index - the Eurozone's fear gauge dropped to 13-month lows. Lucky 13. The Euro Stoxx-50 index ...

Chief economist update: Fourth wave threatens Olympics, growth outlook

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 8 APR 2021
The way it's (not) going for Japan, recent upgrades to its 2021 economic growth made by the OECD and the International Monetary Fund might need to be toned down or even reversed to a downgrade at their next outing. The OECD's March 2021 "Interim ...

Chief economist update: RBA promises support over the next three years

BENJAMIN ONG  |  WEDNESDAY, 7 APR 2021
"Come on, Barbie, let's go party"... until 2024. In Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) parlance: "The board is committed to maintaining highly supportive monetary conditions until its goals are achieved. The board will not increase the cash rate until ...

Chief economist update: Positive feedback loop

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 6 APR 2021
"Business is picking up as mandated restrictions seem to be easing and spring is right around the corner." "Higher levels of demand related to additional business reopening, and increased activity related to vaccination distribution." "Vaccination rates ...

Chief economist update: Chinese manufacturing ramps up

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 1 APR 2021
Activity in China's manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors returned with a vengeance after a brief pause during the country's Lunar New Year holidays. National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data show that China's manufacturing PMI rebounded ...

Chief economist update: Too much of a good thing could be a bad thing

BENJAMIN ONG  |  WEDNESDAY, 31 MAR 2021
Healthier consumers are happier consumers are spending consumers. US consumer confidence has rebounded to its highest level since the onset of the pandemic in America in March last year. This is hardly surprising with cases of coronavirus infections ...

Chief economist update: BOJ has no plans to ease easing

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 30 MAR 2021
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept monetary policy settings at its March meeting - short-term key interest rate at minus 0.1% and the target for the 10-year Japanese government bond yield at around 0%. It also pledged that it "will continue with Quantitative ...

Chief economist update: Australia's virtuous cycle keeps on turning

BENJAMIN ONG  |  MONDAY, 29 MAR 2021
Despite some delays and hiccups in the roll out of the coronavirus vaccine in Australia, cases of infections are virtually next to nil and life had slowly been returning to pre-pandemic normal. So much so, that in its 'Economic Outlook' March ...

Chief economist update: Strike while iron ore cools

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 26 MAR 2021
The iron ore price has fallen by more than 4% over the past two weeks which, according to reports is due to concerns over further reduction cuts in Tangshan - China's top steel-producing city - under its anti-pollution plan. But akin to previous ...

Chief economist update: Hot flashes

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 25 MAR 2021
Expansion in private sector activity with a dash of inflation. This is the overriding conclusion that could be derived from the flash estimates of the IHS Markit Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) surveys conducted for the US, the Eurozone, the UK ...