Analysis & Opinion
The sheer breadth of the impact of Covid-19 has created a shared experience and global bonds which should live on even after everyone has been immunised.
Asset markets will have to transition from an environment fuelled largely by emergency policy support, to one driven increasingly by real global economic recovery. The likely recovery in corporate profits in 2021 is unlikely to lead to another period of outsize equity gains, as much of it is already priced in.
Risks to children have risen during the coronavirus pandemic and the antiquated law must be extended to cover emotional abuse and neglect, sexual grooming, cyberbullying and doxxing.
India’s call for economic self-reliance must go beyond nationalism in disguise. The push to go local appears a simplistic strategy for import substitution that is inconsistent with an outward-oriented trade policy.
Asia’s culture, united pandemic response and tech boom have left it better prepared for economic recovery. But geopolitical tensions and challenges in poverty, health care and climate change remain.
According to historians, there have been almost 300 serious epidemics in China, some of which devastated populations and altered the course of history.
Worries about the effects of a vaccine are understandable. The government must respond with empathy, and correct and up-to-date information about the vaccines, especially the Chinese-made ones that have been the target of malicious rumours.
While vaccines offer hope, this isn’t over – not by a long shot. This Week in Asia speaks to five top public-health experts on their predictions for the year ahead.
The Russian experience shows that China would benefit from joining the Paris Club of sovereign creditors, which maintains general rules for managing and restructuring sovereign debt.
China’s economic situation justifies some degree of yuan appreciation, but there is more at play than just renminbi strength. Rather, the US dollar has been weakening against several currencies, and this suits American interests.
China’s lacklustre soft power rankings and the fact that Covid-19 vaccines are a new frontier in public health mean it should dish them out quietly.
There seems to be a huge gap between decision-making at the top and the actual conditions. There is no evidence of a proper monitoring system to identify problems; rather, officials appear to be making ad hoc decisions in response to individual events.
While market sentiment has been dominated by hope that encouraging vaccine results will lead to economic recovery, the resurgence of the virus, especially in the US and Europe, means policy support must continue.
Despite talk of economic destruction, recession, job losses and business closures, most stock markets are likely to end the year on a positive note, buoyed by central bank asset purchases and government debt.
Global health body has warned that Covid-19 ‘may just be a harbinger of what may come’ and governments must prepare for the next crisis.
The Land of Smiles’ orders of the vaccine fall far short of minimum to achieve herd immunity.
China’s economy is firing up, supporting demand for industrial metals and oil. Once the rest of the world follows China into economic recovery, high demand and short supply might mean a higher oil price.
Innovation and technology advancements are crucial for any economy, especially in the new normal after Covid-19. Companies must embrace digital transformation to survive.
The launch last year of the country’s first real estate investment trust has helped increase market transparency and attract institutional investors, improvements which laid the foundation for the sector’s resilience amid the Covid-19 downturn.