Asia Economy
China’s factory activity falls at slower pace as Covid curbs ease
An employee operates a spinning machine at a textile factory on May 26, 2022 in China. China’s factory activity contracted at a slower pace in May as Covid-19 curbs in major manufacturing hubs were relaxed, but movement controls still depressed domestic demand, restrained production and weighed on the economy in the second quarter. Zhu Haipeng […]
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China faces a nearly $1 trillion funding gap. It will need more debt to fill it.
During the first four months of the year, investment in real estate development fell by 2.7% from a year ago. Pictured here is a project in Qingzhou, Shandong province, on May 15, 2022. CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty Images BEIJING — The Chinese government faces a growing shortfall of cash, analysts say, as they […]
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Global recession? Not yet, economists say — but brace for high prices, low growth
A global recession is not imminent, but brace for rising costs and slower growth, economists say. “There will be no sudden ‘after’ of stagflation,” said Simon Baptist, global chief economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, referring to a surprise recession after a period of stagflation. As the war in Ukraine and pandemic disruptions continue to wreak havoc on […]
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There’s a ‘massive gap’ between housing demand and supply in Singapore, PropertyGuru CEO says
Supply constraints are driving up property prices and rents in Singapore, the chief executive officer of a real estate company said Friday. “You can see a massive gap opening up between demand and supply,” said Hari Krishnan of PropertyGuru. Singapore introduced measures to cool the property market in December 2021, but analysts told CNBC in […]
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Beijing, Shanghai start to reopen as Covid cases drop
After about two months of lockdown, Shanghai announced plans over the weekend to relax restrictions on business activity. Subway riders pictured here on May 28, 2022, ride on one of four lines in the city that have resumed operations. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — Major Chinese cities Beijing and Shanghai […]
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Ex-Disney CEO Bob Iger takes stake in Australian design company Canva, which has been valued at $40 billion
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger has acquired a stake in Australian design company Canva and agreed to be an advisor to the closely held company. “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Bob Iger as an investor and advisor,” said Canva spokesman Lachlan Andrews in a statement. “Bob brings a wealth of experience after 15 years at the […]
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Japan is finally seeing some inflation – but it may not be time to celebrate
Japan’s core consumer prices may be approaching the central bank’s 2% target, but veteran entrepreneur Ernie Higa says it’s not time to cheer yet. “When you talk about inflation, it’s kind of like cholesterol – there’s good cholesterol and bad cholesterol – what we’re experiencing now in Japan is bad inflation,” Higa, chairman & CEO […]
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Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com all just posted their slowest revenue growth on record
Alibaba, whose headquarters are pictured here on May 26, said its online physical goods GMV in China, excluding unpaid orders, fell further in April, with a “low teens” decline from a year ago. Str | Afp | Getty Images BEIJING — Chinese tech giants Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com have all posted their slowest revenue growth […]
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Japan to restart idled nuclear power plants, says its prime minister
A radiation counter in an obscure corner of vacant lot at Futaba in Fukushima prefecture on Mar 10, 2022. Japan will take firm steps to restart idled nuclear power plants to make maximum use of nuclear power to stabilize energy prices and supply, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday. Yusuke Harada | Nurphoto | […]
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Thousands of people are leaving Hong Kong — and now it’s clear where they’re going
They stuck it out during the political protests of 2019. Then they lasted through nearly two years of pandemic. But this year, they say they’ve had enough. Residents of Hong Kong are leaving the city in droves in 2022 — not because they want to, several told CNBC, but because Covid restrictions and what they see […]
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