Markets

The port of Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania: Two Chinese companies will build a 282-kilometer line from Burundi to Dar es Salaam to transport minerals for export. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
The Bank of Japan raised its policy interest rate to 0.5% from 0.25% last week, expecting wages to continue rising and inflation to remain stable around its 2% target.
Bank of Japan

BOJ to keep raising rates if economy on track: deputy governor

Negative real interest rates 'not normal' if deflation factors disappear

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#techAsia

DeepSeek's deep impact and Australia's mineral conundrum

The inside story on the Asia tech trends that matter, from Nikkei Asia and the Financial Times

30 January 2025
Copper is a popular choice for electrical wiring, thanks to its conductivity.
Commodities

Rampant copper theft drives up demand for aluminum cables in Japan

The red metal has risen in price, making it lucrative to steal and sell

30 January 2025
Companies are being called on to communicate with shareholders, but incomplete information can make that difficult. (Photo by Sae Kamae)
Markets

Japan eyes legal reforms to support shareholder identity disclosure

Tokyo looks to help companies discover who owns shares listed under custodians

30 January 2025
The Tokyo Stock Exchange has been urging listed companies to improve capital efficiency. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
Companies

Japan Inc. plans record dividends of $118bn amid reform pressure

Companies court retail investors as cross-shareholding are unwound

30 January 2025
A person arrives at Toshiba's annual shareholders meeting in Chiba, Japan.
Opinion

Japan can end its AGM bottleneck by changing the rules

And it must close the time gap between record dates and shareholder meetings

29 January 2025
HSBC's restructuring will see the company focus on its Asian businesses, which remain a growth driver.
Finance

HSBC shifts investment banking to Asia, pulls back in West

Financial giant to focus on strengths, avoid all-out battle with U.S. rivals

29 January 2025
Nvidia stock suffered history's biggest one-day fall in market capitalization on Jan. 27 but by the end of the day flows into leveraged exchange-traded funds linked to the chip design company turned positive.
Equities

Investors bet on Nvidia share recovery by buying leveraged ETFs

Funds aiming to deliver double the daily return in Nvidia gain after DeepSeek shock

29 January 2025
Chinese rare earth companies are snapping up all the supply they can get, but local farmers in Australia worry about them exporting environmental degradation to other countries. (Nikkei montage)
Tech Asia

In mineral sands, Australian rare earth ambitions mingle with China's interests

As Western supply chains mature slowly, Chinese giants buy up mineral sands globally

29 January 2025
A sculpture adorns Smithfield Foods' hog slaughterhouse in Smithfield, Virginia.
IPO

Smithfield Foods valued at $7.7bn in lukewarm market debut

Chinese parent WH Group sells shares in U.S. pork processor

29 January 2025
The yen weakened against the dollar ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017 and this January. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Currencies

Trump effect on yen-dollar rate may prove short-lived

Punitive threats and uncertainty divide views on tariffs' impact on forex market

29 January 2025
Japanese tech stocks on Jan. 28 tracked overnight Wall Street declines.
Equities

Japan tech stocks fall for a second day on DeepSeek-induced selloff

Chinese AI chatbot has 'scared markets,' Mizuho says

28 January 2025
Some Chinese developers are coming up with unusual promotions to lure homebuyers, particularly in smaller cities where demand is weaker than in the main metropolises like Shanghai. (Photo by CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty Images)
Property

China's desperate developers dangle quirky deals, from flights to iPhones

Lunar New Year period poses test as players compete for shrinking market

28 January 2025
Vietnam was not upgraded to an emerging market at the last annual review, in September, but has been on the watch list since 2018.
Equities

Vietnam anticipates stock upgrade to emerging market this year

FTSE Russell says move would see $6 billion from foreign funds pour into communist country

28 January 2025
This sudden popularity of DeepSeek has ignited a heated debate about whether American AI giants can maintain their technological dominance. 
Artificial intelligence

DeepSeek crashes Nvidia stock with prospect of cheaper AI

Chinese tech blurs view on artificial intelligence investment

28 January 2025
The duty-free counter at Daimaru's Shinsaibashi store in Osaka has been busier ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays. (Photo by Katsuyuki Tanimoto)
Equities

Japan tourism stocks rally ahead of China's Lunar New Year break

Department stores, hotels expected to see surge of spending by Chinese visitors

28 January 2025
Some 173 of the 420 units in the DLF luxury housing project getting underway near New Delhi have already been sold at around $8 million apiece. 
Property

DLF's $4bn New Delhi luxury project needs four years to build

Big rise in number of wealthy Indians has created rush for high-end homes

27 January 2025
Cost of rupees: The State Bank of Pakistan has slashed interest rates by 1,000 bps from an all-time high of 22% in June 2024. 
Economy

Pakistan cuts key rate, marking 1,000 bps reduction since June

State Bank of Pakistan slashes policy rates by 100 bps on Jan. 27

27 January 2025
A China Vanke sign at a construction site in Shanghai. Like its peers, the developer faces heavy pressure in a slumping real estate market.
China debt crunch

China Vanke's top executives step down as $6.2bn net loss looms

Shenzhen Metro chairman to double as head of ailing property developer

27 January 2025
Concerns surrounding the Hong Kong dollar peg come at a time when the city plays an ever more important role for Chinese companies' dollar access. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Getty Images)
Trading Asia

Hong Kong dollar peg raises concerns as second Trump era begins

Currency link hurts city's economy, but Chinese corporates are making use of it

27 January 2025
Visitors at a traditional district in China's Chongqing city as Lunar New Year approaches.
Your Week in Asia

Lunar New Year celebrations, India budget, Philippines GDP

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

26 January 2025
Although China says it is working toward a zero-carbon economy, its efforts to cut its reliance on imported oil are driven more by concerns about energy security, say analysts.
Datawatch

China's oil demand near peak as government pushes to cut imports

Move away from crude driven more by energy security worries than environmental concern

26 January 2025
The Reserve Bank of India has no choice but to allow the rupee to depreciate gradually, as its own analysis indicates the Indian rupee is overvalued.
Opinion

India should let the rupee slide gradually

The RBI's interventions are unsustainable and counterproductive

26 January 2025
The Yamaokaya ramen restaurant chain has raised prices on noodles with chashu roast pork. (Photo by Kyosuke Jinno)
Inflation

Japan's ramen joints burned by rising cost of European pork

Bankruptcies soar past pandemic-era record as inflation hits cheap staple dish

25 January 2025
The Bank of Japan's rate hikes are seen pushing up mortgage rates, which lenders in the country typically adjust every five years. (Photo by Nikkei)
Bank of Japan

BOJ rate hikes add $50 to Japan's average monthly mortgage payment

Higher rates squeeze homeowners by offsetting tax breaks

25 January 2025
Plaza 66, the core Shanghai asset of Hang Lung Properties, is not immune from the consumption downturn in China. (Photo by Wataru Suzuki) 
Consumer

China luxury slump hits Hong Kong developer's top Shanghai asset

Hang Lung's Plaza 66 suffers drop in high-end retail sales

24 January 2025
Leading up to the BOJ meeting, top policymakers’ hawkish tone and higher wages had raised investor expectations of a rate hike. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Currencies

Yen strengthens as BOJ delivers expected rate increase amid Trump uncertainty

Japanese currency's trajectory tied to U.S. tariff policy, currency analysts say

24 January 2025
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a press conference after the BOJ meeting on Jan. 24 in Tokyo. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
Bank of Japan

BOJ's Ueda hints at room for more hikes, stays flexible on pace, timing

Third increase under governor to 0.5% puts policy rate at highest level in 17 years

24 January 2025
Hong Kong stocks outpaced mainland gains on Jan. 24, after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he would "rather not" use tariffs against China.
Equities

China stocks rise after Trump says he'd 'rather not' pull tariff trigger

Hong Kong shares outperform mainland; yuan gains against dollar

24 January 2025