Malaysian trade data records surplus in February, little changed from that in January

Apr 04, 2019 08:52 am UTC| Commentary Economy

Malaysias trade data for February showed the country recording a surplus at RM11.06bn, little changed from the January number of RM11.52 billion. Exports did though record a decline of 5.31 percent y/y, the first since...

MAS unlikely to join the dovish turn seen among other central banks recently, says ANZ Research

Apr 04, 2019 06:45 am UTC| Commentary Central Banks Economy

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is not expected to join the dovish turn seen among other central banks recently, according to the latest report from ANZ Research, thus making the case for further policy...

USD/CNY likely to reach 6.60 and then head for 6.50 if US and China reach a trade deal in April or May, says Scotiabank

Apr 04, 2019 05:58 am UTC| Commentary Economy

The USD/CNY currency pair is expected to reach 6.60 and then head for 6.50 if the United States and China reach a trade deal in April or May and capital inflows could boost the yuan moderately in the months ahead,...

U.S. Treasury yields gain ahead of March ADP non-farm employment, ISM non-manufacturing PMI data

Apr 03, 2019 11:19 am UTC| Commentary Economy

The U.S. Treasury yields climbed during European session Wednesday ahead of the countrys ADP non-farm employment data for the month of March and ISM non-manufacturing PMI for the similar period, both scheduled to be...

South Africa's informal sector: why people get stuck in precarious jobs

Apr 03, 2019 10:32 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

South Africa has a jobs crisis. In the fourth quarter of 2018, 6.14 million people were out of work, an unemployment rate of 27.1%, which is one of the highest rates in the world, along with sub-Saharan African countries...

Congestion-busting infrastructure plays catch-up on long-neglected needs

Apr 03, 2019 10:29 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics Economy

Infrastructure spending is one of the central themes of Treasurer Frydenbergs budget speech. His headline announcement was the promise to increase the ten-year federal infrastructure spend from the A$75 billion announced...

Total transport spending is about par for the course, but the pattern is unusual

Apr 03, 2019 10:20 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The budget just before an election seems to have a special quality: the transport infrastructure will surely be more plentiful than usual, and carefully chosen to shore up the electoral bulwarks. But dont get too excited:...