Asia Economy
China’s industrial profits rise 0.6% in 2025, accelerating in December as output expands despite weak demand
NINGBO, CHINA – JANUARY 22: Employees work on the production line of snowboards at a workshop to meet the orders on January 22, 2026 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province of China. He Yuankai/Zhejiang Daily Press Group | Visual China Group | Getty Images China’s industrial profits rose 0.6% in 2025 from a year earlier, snapping three […]
Read More
South Korean auto stocks fall after Trump hikes tariffs on trade deal approval delay
Aerial view of Seoul downtown city skyline with vehicle on expressway and bridge cross over Han river in Seoul city, South Korea. Mongkol Chuewong | Moment | Getty Images Shares of South Korean autos tumbled Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at the country overnight, saying he would increase tariffs on Asia’s fourth-largest […]
Read More
Europe-U.S. ties at their ‘lowest’ in NATO history, ex-EU chief says, as Trump goes ‘America First’
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) listens as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting on Jan. 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Europe and U.S. relations are facing their “lowest moment” since NATO came into being, former […]
Read More
Asia-Pacific stocks trade mixed as geopolitical worries keep investors on edge
People crossing the street in Shibuya, Tokyo. Maydays | Moment | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Monday as investors assessed ongoing geopolitical concerns. On Sunday stateside, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that his country has no intention of pursuing a free trade agreement with China, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose […]
Read More
Japan PM vows to act against speculative market moves after yen spike
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Sunday her government will take necessary steps against speculative market moves, in the wake of a yen spike that heightened traders’ alert over the chance of currency intervention. Japanese government bonds and the yen have sold off in recent weeks on concern Takaichi’s expansionary fiscal policy and the […]
Read More
Bank of Japan raises economic growth forecasts ahead of snap election, holds rates at 0.75%
A guide sign reading “Bank of Japan” is seen in Tokyo on July 31, 2024. Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty Images Japan’s central bank on Friday raised economic growth forecasts while holding its key policy rate at 0.75% as the country prepares to go into an election. The Bank of Japan upgraded its economic […]
Read More
Japan inflation cools to 2.1%, lowest since March 2022, but rice prices loom large ahead of election
An employee at the Celsior Wadamachi supermarket in Yokohama, Japan, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. Soaring food costs are a key component driving broader inflation higher, with data Friday expected to show consumer price growth has stayed above the central bank’s 2% target for four straight calendar years. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Japan’s headline inflation […]
Read More
‘Nobody’s going to believe him’: Trump’s Greenland ‘deal’ sparks relief — and confusion
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 21: Delegates watch as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks onstage at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images Markets and some European leaders welcomed the news that U.S. President Donald Trump was standing down from imposing further […]
Read More
South Korea’s Kospi breaches 5,000 as Asia stocks rebound after Trump walks back on Europe tariff threats
A Greenlandic flag flies over a residential house on Jan. 21, 2026 in Nuuk, Greenland. Sean Gallup | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets rebounded on Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street after U.S. President Donald Trump walked back on his threats to impose tariffs on European countries over Greenland. South Korea’s Kospi led gains in the […]
Read More
Japan’s December exports growth drops to 5.1%, missing expectations, as shipments to U.S. plunge
Vehicles bound for shipment parked in front of the Dream Angel vehicles carrier ship at the Nagoya Port in Nagoya, Japan, on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Fred Mery | Bloomberg | Getty Images Japan’s exports growth in the final month of 2025 missed analysts’ estimates, rising 5.1% year on year, as shipments to the U.S. […]
Read More