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Economics

The BOJ's educated hope

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 22 SEP 2017
The BOJ has been going on about this "virtuous cycle" ever since it introduced its quantitative and qualitative monetary easing with a negative interest rate policy in January 2016.

Fed does the thinkable

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 21 SEP 2017
The Fed decision and the forward guidance were more or less what markets had been expecting and were positioned for all along. But the fed funds rate should be at 2.75% next year.

Peak iron ore?

BENJAMIN ONG  |  WEDNESDAY, 20 SEP 2017
Given latest iron ore pricing, the Budget appears to be safe (as far as its forecasts go). But the strengthening A$ -- if it becomes persistent - would negatively impact Australian trade and the domestic economy overall.

On the road to normal

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 19 SEP 2017
Questions remain over a Fed December interest rate hike and the announcement of the start of QE taper - will they or won't they?

The British pound's sterling reversal

BENJAMIN ONG  |  MONDAY, 18 SEP 2017
The British pound has soared to pre-Brexit levels against the US dollar and the Japanese yen - and to a two-month high against the strengthening euro - at the close of last week's trading.

China slows to target

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 15 SEP 2017
This is what Li likes as he steers the world's second biggest economy towards "healthier and more sustainable" growth.

Not happy enough

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 14 SEP 2017
Before you jump and sing hallelujah, the September figure for consumer sentiment is a bounce back from the nine-year low recorded in the previous month and remains below 100.

Divergent business confidence

BENJAMIN ONG  |  WEDNESDAY, 13 SEP 2017
The latest NAB Business Survey shows while business conditions remain robust, confidence among businesses deteriorated significantly - the lowest reading in 13 months.

Wall Street interrupted

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 12 SEP 2017
It's back to business as usual on Wall Street. The sum of all fears many investors braced for didn't quite add up.

Currency trend is not our friend

BENJAMIN ONG  |  MONDAY, 11 SEP 2017
A currency's appreciation or depreciation sets in train certain dynamics that would return fundamentals to equilibrium.