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ING

ING: A leading Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Amsterdam. It offers a comprehensive range of products including retail, direct, commercial, investment, wholesale, and private banking, alongside asset management and insurance services. Serving individuals, SMEs, and large corporates globally, ING is recognised for its digital banking leadership and strong commitment to sustainability. Its overall business focus is on empowering clients financially, leveraging digital innovation. Its chief Greater China economist, Lynn Song, highlighted the property sector’s crucial role for household balance sheets.

US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Friday. Photo: AFP

Trade

Tariff whiplash throws Asia’s recent US trade deals into doubt

India has already paused trade talks with Washington as other Asian nations are left to question the validity of their recent agreements.

23 Feb 2026 - 5:48PM

China consumption

China overhauls CPI basket, with never-before-seen unveiling of its composition

14 Feb 2026 - 10:48AMvideocam

China consumption

China’s consumer price growth cools as inflation outlook remains unclear

11 Feb 2026 - 12:01PM

Interest rates

Spiking yen fuels risk-averse mood as investors take defensive stance

Yen hits two-month high amid fears US and Japan will intervene to prop up the currency ahead of Japan’s election next month.

26 Jan 2026 - 7:00PM

Media reports on Friday said that the New York Federal Reserve had checked dollar-yen rates with dealers, widely seen as a precursor to intervention. Photo: Reuters

Commodities

Gold surge has analysts eyeing new highs after US$5,100 record

Safe-haven demand spikes amid de-dollarisation fears and supply-chain tensions, as gold buyers seek stability against growing macro uncertainties.

26 Jan 2026 - 3:07PMvideocam

US-China trade war

Trade reset? China, Canada look to revive ties after US tariffs force rethink

Crude, copper and iron top Canada’s exports to China, as prime minister seeks to mend relationship with Beijing.

13 Jan 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

Yuan

Yuan to strengthen to 6.85 per US dollar in first quarter 2026: Morgan Stanley

Strong export growth and US dollar weakness are expected to bolster the currency, the bank says.

9 Jan 2026 - 10:02PM

The yuan has appreciated against the US dollar in recent weeks. In late December, the offshore yuan dipped below the benchmark rate of seven against the US dollar. Photo: AFP

China-Japan relations

As Beijing targets Tokyo over Taiwan remarks, what levers does Japan have?

Japanese control of chemical used in semiconductors could prove significant, analysts say.

8 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

US-China trade war

‘Maximum pressure’: why China is taking Mexico’s tariff move ‘very seriously’

Beijing sees Mexico’s move as driven by a wider US pressure campaign – and could take retaliatory measures, analysts say.

11 Dec 2025 - 10:55PM

China trade

Explainer | The return of Red Sea shipping: 3 scenarios for Chinese trade

Houthi rebels have signalled a halt in attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, allowing a possible end to costly detours.

5 Dec 2025 - 1:04AMvideocam

A container ship crosses the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea in 2023. Cargo ships have largely avoided the area in recent years due to attacks by Houthi rebel groups. Photo: EPA-EFE

China trade

Explainer | Tripwire clauses: why is China alarmed by Malaysia’s new trade deal with the US?

Controversial wording seen as a geopolitical trap designed to force neutral countries to uphold Western containment strategies.

28 Nov 2025 - 9:44PMvideocam

Shipping containers are stacked in April at Port Klang on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AP

Bonds

Weak growth outlook fuels China’s bond market recovery, analysts say

Concerns about inflated valuations of technology stocks are also driving investors towards bonds.

20 Nov 2025 - 7:30AM

US-China trade war

Asean, China, Japan and South Korea hold ‘transformative’ critical minerals opportunity

Director of Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office says some Southeast Asian economies have notable reserves.

17 Nov 2025 - 1:26PM

China exports

Cuts to US ‘fentanyl tariffs’ help Chinese exporters gain on competition

Analysts said the reduction in US tariffs creates space for Chinese producers to gain on Asian competitors – particularly in low-cost goods.

1 Nov 2025 - 8:04AM

Cuts to US tariffs related to the drug fentanyl could provide an opening for China’s exporters to overtake their Asian competition. Photo: AP

US-China trade war

Why US-China trade talks in Malaysia are key to paving way for Xi-Trump summit

Analysts say both sides have leverage to wield, and the cards they play could fuel or de-escalate tensions.

23 Oct 2025 - 11:22PM

A presidential meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping might take place in South Korea next week, but trade talks between senior US and Chinese officials will first take place in Malaysia. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

US government frozen after shutdown, but China talks still in motion: analysts

This week’s shutdown would be unlikely to stall China trade talks, observers said, but could speed up Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts.

2 Oct 2025 - 7:00PM

China property

Will China’s easing of property curbs in 3 big cities help boost consumption?

Analysts say real estate slump is still weighing heavily on household wealth and consumer confidence.

2 Oct 2025 - 9:12AM

US-China trade war

US slaps new tariffs on furniture imports, widens blacklist of Chinese companies

Duties of up to 200 per cent threaten Asian furniture exporters, Washington also expands ‘entity list’ in a move Beijing calls ‘malicious’.

30 Sep 2025 - 9:50AMvideocam

Sofas and tables are displayed inside a furniture mall in Lecong town, Foshan, Guangdong province, China. Photo: Reuters

US-China trade war

Peeling into TikTok deal, analysts see layers of leverage, tariffs and soybeans

New framework text over fate of wildly popular app is not expected to be revealed until presidents Xi and Trump chat on Friday, but bilateral impact could be significant.

16 Sep 2025 - 9:00PMvideocam

Medicine

Trump plans hefty tax on imported drugs, risking higher US prices and shortages

US move is part of a wider effort to secure critical medical supply chains and reduce reliance on countries like China and India.

2 Sep 2025 - 2:23PMvideocam

US-China trade war

Why Trump’s furniture tariffs could complicate efforts to reassemble China trade

‘Furniture is not like electronics,’ one analyst warns. ‘You cannot ship in bits and parts and screw it together in North America’.

27 Aug 2025 - 9:00PMvideocam

Workers produce sofas for sale to Europe and the United States at a furniture workshop in China’s Jiangsu province in December. Photo: Getty Images

Bonds

China’s stock market bull run turns into a rout for bonds

Futures on 30-year sovereign notes fell as much as 0.7 per cent on Thursday, extending this week’s drop to 1.5 per cent at the low.

14 Aug 2025 - 4:27PM

A display showing the Shanghai stock market index outside a brokerage in Beijing on November 6, 2024. Photo: AP

US-China trade war

‘Far from a walk in the park’: what’s next after another US-China tariff truce?

Analysts say ‘piecemeal’ trade agreements could precede Trump-Xi meeting, but China will not be pressured into a one-sided agreement.

13 Aug 2025 - 5:25AMvideocam

US-China trade war

Trump wants China to buy more US goods. Right now, the opposite is happening

China has slowed or halted purchases of a slew of US energy and farm goods in 2025, but shipments could soar again after a US-China trade deal.

29 Jul 2025 - 12:27AMvideocam

US-China trade war

What the new US trade deal with Japan means for other Asian allies

Not even America’s long-time trade partners have been spared from tariffs, and deals with others could be coming soon, according to analysts who see China standing apart.

23 Jul 2025 - 8:51PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump waves as he greets Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in February. The US and Japan have agreed on a new trade deal. Photo: AFP

China inflation

Plunging pork and poultry prices put pressure on Chinese farmers

Food prices fell 0.3 per cent year on year in June, marking the fifth straight month of decline.

12 Jul 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Chickens at a wholesale market in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Photo: Getty Images

US-ally trade wars

Apparently impatient Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Japan, South Korea

Equal or higher tariffs imposed on others before Wednesday deadline.

8 Jul 2025 - 1:33PMvideocam

IPO

FWD rises as it ends listing quest with a win in its hometown market

The Hong Kong IPO is not the end-game for the home-grown Hong Kong insurer, as its CEO Huynh eyes a new growth phase.

7 Jul 2025 - 4:42PM

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ING

Tariff whiplash throws Asia’s recent US trade deals into doubt

India has already paused trade talks with Washington as other Asian nations are left to question the validity of their recent agreements.

China overhauls CPI basket, with never-before-seen unveiling of its composition

China’s consumer price growth cools as inflation outlook remains unclear

Spiking yen fuels risk-averse mood as investors take defensive stance

Yen hits two-month high amid fears US and Japan will intervene to prop up the currency ahead of Japan’s election next month.

Gold surge has analysts eyeing new highs after US$5,100 record

Safe-haven demand spikes amid de-dollarisation fears and supply-chain tensions, as gold buyers seek stability against growing macro uncertainties.

Trade reset? China, Canada look to revive ties after US tariffs force rethink

Crude, copper and iron top Canada’s exports to China, as prime minister seeks to mend relationship with Beijing.

Yuan to strengthen to 6.85 per US dollar in first quarter 2026: Morgan Stanley

Strong export growth and US dollar weakness are expected to bolster the currency, the bank says.

As Beijing targets Tokyo over Taiwan remarks, what levers does Japan have?

Japanese control of chemical used in semiconductors could prove significant, analysts say.

‘Maximum pressure’: why China is taking Mexico’s tariff move ‘very seriously’

Beijing sees Mexico’s move as driven by a wider US pressure campaign – and could take retaliatory measures, analysts say.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | The return of Red Sea shipping: 3 scenarios for Chinese trade

Houthi rebels have signalled a halt in attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, allowing a possible end to costly detours.

Explainer | Tripwire clauses: why is China alarmed by Malaysia’s new trade deal with the US?

Controversial wording seen as a geopolitical trap designed to force neutral countries to uphold Western containment strategies.

Weak growth outlook fuels China’s bond market recovery, analysts say

Concerns about inflated valuations of technology stocks are also driving investors towards bonds.

Asean, China, Japan and South Korea hold ‘transformative’ critical minerals opportunity

Director of Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office says some Southeast Asian economies have notable reserves.

Cuts to US ‘fentanyl tariffs’ help Chinese exporters gain on competition

Analysts said the reduction in US tariffs creates space for Chinese producers to gain on Asian competitors – particularly in low-cost goods.

Why US-China trade talks in Malaysia are key to paving way for Xi-Trump summit

Analysts say both sides have leverage to wield, and the cards they play could fuel or de-escalate tensions.

US government frozen after shutdown, but China talks still in motion: analysts

This week’s shutdown would be unlikely to stall China trade talks, observers said, but could speed up Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts.

Will China’s easing of property curbs in 3 big cities help boost consumption?

Analysts say real estate slump is still weighing heavily on household wealth and consumer confidence.

US slaps new tariffs on furniture imports, widens blacklist of Chinese companies

Duties of up to 200 per cent threaten Asian furniture exporters, Washington also expands ‘entity list’ in a move Beijing calls ‘malicious’.

Peeling into TikTok deal, analysts see layers of leverage, tariffs and soybeans

New framework text over fate of wildly popular app is not expected to be revealed until presidents Xi and Trump chat on Friday, but bilateral impact could be significant.

Trump plans hefty tax on imported drugs, risking higher US prices and shortages

US move is part of a wider effort to secure critical medical supply chains and reduce reliance on countries like China and India.

Why Trump’s furniture tariffs could complicate efforts to reassemble China trade

‘Furniture is not like electronics,’ one analyst warns. ‘You cannot ship in bits and parts and screw it together in North America’.

China’s stock market bull run turns into a rout for bonds

Futures on 30-year sovereign notes fell as much as 0.7 per cent on Thursday, extending this week’s drop to 1.5 per cent at the low.

‘Far from a walk in the park’: what’s next after another US-China tariff truce?

Analysts say ‘piecemeal’ trade agreements could precede Trump-Xi meeting, but China will not be pressured into a one-sided agreement.

Trump wants China to buy more US goods. Right now, the opposite is happening

China has slowed or halted purchases of a slew of US energy and farm goods in 2025, but shipments could soar again after a US-China trade deal.

What the new US trade deal with Japan means for other Asian allies

Not even America’s long-time trade partners have been spared from tariffs, and deals with others could be coming soon, according to analysts who see China standing apart.

Plunging pork and poultry prices put pressure on Chinese farmers

Food prices fell 0.3 per cent year on year in June, marking the fifth straight month of decline.

Apparently impatient Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Japan, South Korea

Equal or higher tariffs imposed on others before Wednesday deadline.

FWD rises as it ends listing quest with a win in its hometown market

The Hong Kong IPO is not the end-game for the home-grown Hong Kong insurer, as its CEO Huynh eyes a new growth phase.

Explainer | The return of Red Sea shipping: 3 scenarios for Chinese trade