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The yen was supposed to rebound this year. Analysts spoke about a clear path. Japan would lift rates. Capital would return. The currency would climb. It felt like one of those stories everyone agreed on because agreeing felt safe. But the agreement has thinned out. Banks are lowering their forecasts. The surge idea has lost its center. The Bank of Japan stayed cautious. Inflation did not rise fast enough to force sharp policy changes. The Federal Reserve held firm longer than

You have most likely come across the phrase “AI is going to take over everything” in your everyday life. Let me tell you, that reality won’t happen for a long time because of its poor integration into our lives. It’s true that everyone is using ChatGPT or some form of AI technology for daily work or to aid daily decisions, but AI hardware is a different story. As The Financial Times  puts it: “The first wave of AI hardware…has flopped.” When I first came across this article,

You hear a lot of talk about “decoupling,” but what’s happening on the ground feels different. It’s not a break. It’s a reshuffle. Factories in Shenzhen aren’t empty. They’re just no longer the only centre of gravity. Companies are adding second and third bases across the region. You see assembly lines show up in Vietnam. Chip ­packaging plants open in Malaysia. Battery­ material projects grow in Indonesia. India pushes for more electronics production through local incentives

Image from the Backscoop Due to their early start to trading, this laid the foundation for Singapore’s eventual rise as a global port long before Stamford Raffles stumbled upon the land. When Raffles established a British trading post in 1819, his introduction of a free port —where all trade was open to every nation without tariffs—cemented Singapore’s future as a commercial crossroads. The London Treaty of 1824 later formalized this arrangement, ending clashes between the D

Image from The Jakarta Post Indonesia was officially a traditional extractive colony from 1800 to 1942. However, from 1602 to 1799, the Dutch East India Company initially operated as a monopoly for spices, with its central hub located in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was just convenient that the Dutch decided to rule the Dutch East Indies as a formal colony. In the mid-18th century, the Dutch had effectively expanded their influence across Java and Sumatra. Their extractive colony

Image from Ken Suzuki, Nikkei Asia As Taiwan steps up its defense spending and industries brace for shifting global trade policies, a quieter struggle is emerging among the island’s younger generation. Many are entering a job market reshaped by security concerns, automation, and the lingering effects of global economic uncertainty. Image taken on Oct. 10 where Lai Ching-te, the Taiwanese President, delivers his National Day speech President Lai Ching-te’s government has ple