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Nicholas Spiro
Nicholas Spiro is a partner at Lauressa Advisory, a specialist London-based real estate and macroeconomic advisory firm. He is an expert on advanced and emerging economies and a regular commentator on financial and macro-political developments.
Nicholas Spiro is a partner at Lauressa Advisory, a specialist London-based real estate and macroeconomic advisory firm. He is an expert on advanced and emerging economies and a regular commentator on financial and macro-political developments.
Just because fund managers were too bearish on China doesn’t mean their concerns were misplaced – economic fundamentals matter.
At a time when uneven K-shaped recoveries are increasingly prevalent, Hong Kong’s office sector is experiencing its own unbalanced rebound.
The concentration risk so prevalent elsewhere is mitigated in Asia by a diverse equity landscape and the unique strengths in China.
The sustainability of the real estate boom will depend on how well New Delhi can address lingering gaps in affordability and infrastructure.
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Some of the sharpest increases in property values are in economies facing major headwinds or those suffering from an acute shortage of affordable housing.
While Japan is grappling with acute policy dilemmas and AI bubble fears stalk markets, India seems relatively resilient and forward-looking.
Robust exports, surging stocks and investors looking elsewhere have curbed pressure for more forceful government intervention.
Despite years of progress, the cryptocurrency is still in a vulnerable spot halfway between pure speculation and institutional adoption.
Despite market pressures, cost-of-living concerns and the diplomatic row with China, other factors have a strong bearing on the nation’s real estate.
While South Korea has been a big beneficiary of the AI boom, the surge is also highlighting its domestic and geopolitical vulnerabilities.
Asia provides strong reassurance that the AI boom is not the only factor driving development and investment in data centres.
Emerging market equities have seen their longest winning streak since 2004, but it is premature to talk of a renaissance.
Trump’s tariff blitz has not just provided an impetus for reforms, it has helped address misconceptions about Vietnam’s manufacturing sector.
Although asset prices performed strongly this year and there has been no recession, Trump’s second term is a Rubicon-crossing moment for the US and global economy.
Alarmist talk from the South Korean president, following three rounds of cooling measures, is not inspiring confidence.
High US tariffs not only did not cripple export-oriented economies like South Korea, thanks to the AI boom, but they also pushed policymakers to embark on reforms.
An equity boom and other green shoots aren’t enough to lift a sector struggling with a supply glut and a retail market undergoing structural change.
While many believe the stock market is in an AI-induced bubble, there are factors that paint a more optimistic picture.
Even with the economy hit by multiple crises this year, not least a plunge in Chinese tourist numbers, it’s not all doom in the hotel and office sectors.
While Asia has not had inflation worries for some time, its economic future has become more closely tied to China’s, with all that entails.
Political turmoil, a cost-of-living crisis and ire towards tourists are unlikely to keep Japan from being a top-performing hotel market.
Even with stock markets surging, the price of gold is hitting new records as investors seek out stability.
The housing market will keep testing the government’s tolerance, but without interventions, things would be a lot more volatile.
While the Japanese currency’s reputation as a safe haven was always overblown, the stability that supported it is now a thing of the past.
Not only can the resulting adjustments help unlock investments, but a sterner stress test is likely to accentuate the resilience of Hong Kong’s banking system.
With economic indicators offering reasons to hope, the only question is how quickly and decisively Beijing can revive domestic demand.
From Singapore to Seoul, piecemeal efforts to expand affordability have only limited options for policymakers as housing prices rise.
London’s Canary Wharf district is staging a recovery and the US office market has averted a crisis, but Asia remains a source of strength.
Beijing has taken advantage of weaknesses in Trump’s agenda and forced him to back down while others give him a free pass.
