Singapore's state investor Temasek sees growing investment opportunities in Europe as the impact of trade tensions on the economic climate makes some companies more attractive in terms of valuations, a senior executive told Reuters on Thursday, Reuters reported. A trade war, which followed U.S. President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" on April 2, had led to volatility in global markets and prompted some investors to focus more on European assets.
Resources Per Country
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Australia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- China
- Cook Islands
- Cyprus
- Fiji
- Georgia
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Macau
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Micronesia
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- New Zealand
- North Korea
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vietnam
South Korea’s central bank kept interest rates steady Thursday in a widely expected move, amid easing concerns over the economic outlook and caution against rising household debt, the Wall Street Journal reported. The decision follows a rate cut at the Bank of Korea’s previous meeting in May, when it moved to support the flagging economy. Since then, exports have rebounded despite higher U.S. tariffs, and domestic political unrest has subsided.
Chinese FTX creditors have formally contested the proposed reorganization plan of the bankrupt exchange in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, AInvest reported. The objection, filed by Weiwei Ji, a Chinese customer of FTX, alleges that the current payout proposal unfairly discriminates against creditors in “Restricted Jurisdictions,” including China and other regions. Ji argues that the plan violates Section 1129(b)(1) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code by allowing “unfair discrimination” between classes of similarly situated creditors.
Australia's central bank said on Thursday it was taking another major step toward a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) with a range of industry partners pursuing projects using real money and assets for the first time, Reuters reported. The Reserve Bank of Australia said its "Project Acacia" initiative would test 19 pilot cases involving money and assets, along with five proof-of-concept use cases involving simulated transactions. The trials involve a range of asset classes, including fixed income, private markets, trade receivables and carbon credits.
Anxiety over U.S. tariffs has been spreading across Japan, a central bank report shows, sending a worrying signal about the corporate outlook as trade uncertainty deepens, the Wall Street Journal reported. At a branch managers’ meeting held Thursday, the Bank of Japan’s local heads said that growing worries over higher U.S. tariffs have turned companies cautious about investment plans. Orders from the U.S. have also declined for some companies, a summary of the meeting showed.
The value of apparel imports from China to the U.S. fell in May to its lowest monthly level in 22 years, according to latest trade data, highlighting the impact of steep U.S. tariffs, Reuters reported. China has for years been the biggest exporter of clothes to the U.S., but its share of the U.S. apparel market has fallen as trade relations between the world's two biggest economies soured. U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted tariffs up to as much as 145% in April, driving more U.S. retailers to reduce purchases from Chinese factories in favor of Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, and elsewhere.
Malaysia’s central bank has finally joined its rate-cutting peers, lowering its benchmark interest rate for the first time in five years to support the economy, the Wall Street Journal reported. Bank Negara Malaysia on Wednesday reduced its overnight policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.75%–its first cut since July 2020. While Malaysia’s economy remains on solid footing, the central bank said it decided to cut rates due to the economic threat posed by external uncertainties.
New Zealand's central bank held the benchmark interest rate at 3.25% on Wednesday, noting near-term inflation risks, but said it expected to loosen monetary policy if price pressures continued to ease as forecast, Reuters reported. The decision was in line with a Reuters poll in which 19 of 27 economists surveyed projected the Reserve Bank of New Zealand would hold the cash rate for the first time since it started a cutting cycle in August 2024.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware has issued an order holding Byju’s founder, Byju Raveendran, in civil contempt for failing to comply with earlier court orders related to limited expedited discovery, The Economic Times reported. “This court has personal jurisdiction over Raveendran,” it said in an order on Monday. The court has further directed Raveendran to comply with the discovery orders. “Raveendran shall remit to the clerk of court the sum of $10,000 for each day he remains in contempt of the orders,” it said.