IMF Working Paper-China's Digital Economy: Opportunities and Risks
January 17, 2019--Summary:
China's digital economy has expanded rapidly in recent years. While average digitalization of the economy remains lower than in advanced economies, digitalization is already high in certain regions and sectors, in particular e-commerce and fintech, and costal regions.
Such transformation has boosted productivity growth, with varying impact on employment across sectors. Going forward, digitalization will continue to reshape the Chinese economy by improving efficiency, softening though not reversing, the downward trend of potential growth as the economy matures. The government should play a vital role in maximizing the benefits of digitalization while minimizing related risks, such as potential labor disruption, privacy infringement, emerging oligopolies, and financial risks.
view the IMF Working Paper-China's Digital Economy: Opportunities and Risks
China fourth-quarter growth seen dipping to 6.4 percent as domestic, export demand cools-Reuters poll
January 17, 2019--China's fourth-quarter economic growth likely slowed to the weakest pace since the global financial crisis, a Reuters poll showed, as demand faltered at home and abroad amid a bitter trade dispute with the United States.
Analysts polled by Reuters expect the world's second-largest economy to have grown 6.4 percent in the October-December quarter from a year earlier, slowing from the previous quarter's 6.5 percent pace and matching levels last seen in early 2009.
Thailand's Human Capital Key to Long-Term Growth and Reduced Inequality, World Bank Says
January 16, 2019-Amid a global slowdown and elevated trade tensions, the Thai economy is projected to grow by 3.8 percent in 2019 and 3.9 in 2020, according to the World Bank's Thailand Economic Monitor released today.
Investing in human capital and pursuing economic reforms is critically important for Thailand to become a high-income nation with equal opportunities for all citizens.
In 2018, despite external shocks to trade and tourism, growth of the Thai economy is estimated to have accelerated to 4.1 percent, the report says.
view the
Thailand Economic Monitor Executive Summary-January 2019 Issue
Why the Aussie dollar is grabbing attention Asia to gain largest share of global capital markets over next few decades: index Trade Effects of the New Silk Road: A Gravity Analysis view the World Bank Trade Effects of the New Silk Road A Gravity Analysis A Closer Look At the World Bank's Sizable China Portfolio SGX reports market statistics for December 2018 The report builds on in-depth consumer surveys conducted across 5,100 households in 30 cities and town in India and draws from over 40 in-depth interviews with private and public-sector leaders. It lays out seven critical predictions on a vision for consumption in India in 2030 and lays out a call-to-action for multi-stakeholder collaborations to build an inclusive future for India. view the World Economic Forum report-Future of Consumption in Fast-Growth Consumer Markets: India
January 16, 2019--Fortunes of currency are a gauge both of Chinese economy and debt-burdened consumers.
January 14, 2019--ASIAN markets have the greatest growth opportunity and could gain the largest share of global capital markets over the next few decades.
The average global share of Asian capital markets is expected to increase from 31 per cent in 2017 to as much as 49 per cent in 20 years, with half the growth expected to come from China, according to a global capital markets index.
January 10, 2019--This paper takes a first look at the trade effects of China's Belt and Road Initiative, also referred to as the New Silk Road, on the 71 countries potentially involved. The initiative consists of several infrastructure investment projects to improve the land and maritime transportation in the Belt and Road Initiative region.
The analysis first uses geo-referenced data and geographical information system analysis to compute the bilateral time to trade before and after the Belt and Road Initiative. Then, it estimates the effect of improvement in bilateral time to trade on bilateral export values and trade patterns, using a gravity model and a comparative advantage model. Finally, the analysis combines the estimates from the regression analysis with the results of the geographical information system analysis to quantify the potential trade effects of the Belt and Road Initiative. The paper finds that (i) the Belt and Road Initiative increases trade flows among participating countries by up to 4.1 percent; (ii) these effects would be three times as large on average if trade reforms complemented the upgrading in transport infrastructure; and (iii) products that use time sensitive inputs and countries that are highly exposed to the new infrastructure and integrated in global value chains have larger trade gains.
January 10, 2019--China continues to borrow an average of $2 billion a year from the World Bank, making it one of the Bank's top borrowers--despite being the world's second-largest economy and itself a major global lender, according to our study released today
January 9, 2019--Market turnover of securities products increases 22% in 2018 to S$23.5 billion
Derivatives volume rises to record 217.4 million in 2018, up 22%
Securities
Total Securities market turnover value was at S$16.7 billion, down 22% month-on-month (m-o-m) and down 13% year-on-year (y-o-y), over 20 trading days.
There were 21 trading days in November 2018 and 20 in December 2017.
Securities daily average value (SDAV) was S$837 million, down 19% m-o-m and down 13% y-o-y.
Market turnover value of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) was S$227 million, up 55% m-o-m and up 14% y-o-y.
Market turnover value of structured warrants and Daily Leveraged Certificates (DLCs) was S$988 million, down 51% m-o-m and up 10% y-o-y.
There were 2 Catalist listings during the month, raising S$15.2 million.