The Philippines grapples with debt.
Much of Philippine news coverage focuses on dramatic warnings that
the country may elect to default on its US$70-billion in debt. According
to an April 15, 2005 Bloomberg News report the country . . .
Strong growth, good weather for India.
Asia is the place to look for promising economic news and India is
one of the leading sources.
According to The Indian Express (New Delhi), the government is
forecasting 7 percent growth in GDP . . .
Weak dollar boosts Malaysia inflation.
There could be trouble ahead for Malaysia's consumers if the
government doesn't handle its foreign reserves in a skillful way,
according to an April 13, 2005 paper published by the chief economist . . .
Real estate bubble in South Korea.(Brief Article)
South Korea's housing market is dominated by home ownership as
opposed to renting. According to an April 28, 2005 editorial in The
Korea Times (Seoul), consumer preference for home ownership . . .
Robust growth for Pakistan's economy.(Brief Article)
Pakistan's fiscal year ends on June 30, 2005, and in late
April 2005 the Website onlypunjab.com carried a report of an Asian
Development Bank (ADB) review of the initial nine months of the . . .
Unemployment report surprises Singapore.(Brief Article)
First quarter results for Singapore's economy revealed a
surprise in the unemployment figures -- and not a pleasant one. The
Financial Times (London) reported that Singapore's unemployment
rate was . . .
Australians and snack foods.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 54.4 percent of
Australian men over the age of 18 are overweight or obese, and 38.2
percent of women are overweight or obese.
The data are based . . .
The danger of inflation in China is overestimated.
The subject of China and inflation has been getting a great deal of
attention recently. Most discussed is the question: 'With
China's strong growth seemingly immune to any of the pressures . . .
Drought impacts Thai economy.
Thailand is the second largest economy in Southeast Asia (after
Indonesia) and has been having its troubles with environmental shocks.
The most widely covered was the Tsunami disaster of December . . .
Consumer markets in India growing fast.
The effects of India's economic reforms of 15 years ago have
filtered down to the country's booming middle class [defined by the
National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) as . . .
South Korea's consumer spending.
Improving consumer sentiment notwithstanding, South Korea's
service sector failed to enhance performance in February 2005 falling -
0.6 percent from February a year ago. The Government attributed . . .
Micro marketing Indonesian cassava.(Brief Article)
Mini hydro electric projects are popular in many parts of the
developing world. And for that matter they're also popular in
country squire areas of highly developed countries. Here's the way
they . . .
Singapore is doing well.(Brief Article)
Singapore is having a dry spell - the worst in 29 years, according
to a short item posted on the Asia Inc. Website. The last really bad
year was 1976. The drought has led to an increase in brush . . .
Children in Hong Kong go mobile.(Brief Article)
The population of Hong Kong is about 7-million inhabitants. This
Special Administrative Region has the highest penetration of cell phones
in Asia with 86 percent of residents owning a cell phone. . . .
Automobile dealer service in China.
On March 8, 2005, J. D. Power Asia Pacific released its study on
customer satisfaction and dealer service in China. The study is titled:
"J. D. Power Asia Pacific 2004 China Customer Satisfaction . . .
Inflation hurts Vietnam yet progress continues.
Since 1997, Vietnam's economy has been growing steadily, as
shown on the top shelf of our "bookshelf" chart above. Per
capita income has also been growing steadily.
The second shelf of the chart, . . .
TAIWAN'S 'ASIAN TIGER' REPUTATION UPHELD.
The Taiwan-China dispute is in the news again with what they used
to call "sabre rattling". And the international press, along
with not a few politicians, appear worried that the swelling of . . .
AFGHAN CONSUMERS IN THE POST-CRISIS ERA.
It has been more than three years now since the Taliban was ousted
from power in Afghanistan. Foreign journalists report that the markets
in the country's capital, Kabul, are busy with commerce. . . .
PAKISTAN'S TELECOM SECTOR ERUPTS.(Industry Overview)
Pakistan has deregulated its cellular telecommunications sector.
With a population of 160-million as of mid-2004 according to the
Population Reference Bureau (PRB) the lure of all those potential . . .
CHAIN STORES IN CHINA.(Brief Article)
Chain store marketing in China is increasing rapidly but still has
a long way to go. Supermarkets, for example, began operating in China in
the early 90s and quickly posted substantial year-on-year . . .
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