(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Economy: News & Insights - Nikkei Asia
The global trade war has cast a long shadow over companies' plans for IPOs in Asia. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
Trading Asia

Asia IPO market braces for headwinds from Trump's trade tempest

Uncertainty hits investor appetite, but tech startups could be Hong Kong's lifesaver

12 May 2025
A Hong Kong dollar note. The currency has hit the strong end of its trading band for the first time in four years.
Currencies

Hong Kong authority intervenes to check local currency's rise

HKMA sells HK$46.5bn to prevent strengthening beyond official peg

3 May 2025
A customer packs a postal box at the General Post Office in Hong Kong on April 9.
Trade war

Hong Kong stops U.S.-bound parcels, strikes defiant tone on tariffs

Party representing commercial interests lays out proposals for standing up to Trump

16 April 2025
HKEX in Hong Kong: Listed companies have lined up to announce share buybacks and cheery corporate news in hopes of calming jittery markets. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Companies

Chinese companies rush to serve up sunny news in rocky markets

Hong Kong's dismal Monday followed by spate of share buybacks, positive disclosures

8 April 2025
Shares in Asian banks have been severely hit by growing fears of a global recession. (Source photos by Nanami Sato, Takaki Kashiwabara, Nozomu Ogawa, Reuters)
Trade war

Mounting fears of global recession hit banks in Asia

Japanese lenders fall sharply on declining hopes of BOJ policy normalization

7 April 2025
A view of the Balboa Port, operated by a unit of CK Hutchison, at the Panama Canal on March 4. The port and dozens of others are to be sold to a consortium led by U.S. investment firm BlackRock.
Politics

CK Hutchison faces key port sale date as Hong Kong stokes patriotism

Prospects for signing deal with BlackRock, originally set for Wednesday, unclear

2 April 2025
Hong Kong's K11 Musea shopping mall. The city's retail market has been mired in a lengthy slump.
Retail

Hong Kong retail sales fall 12 straight months as Shenzhen rivalry stings

February figure sinks 13% as locals cross border and mainland visitors spend less

31 March 2025
China's "big four" state banks have been under pressure for years, since tighter rules triggered a property downturn that has sapped consumer confidence. (Source photos by Mizuho Miyzaki, Takaki Kashiwabara and Reuters)
Finance

Bad loans rise at Chinese state banks ahead of $69bn capital injection

Interest margins fall to record lows amid deflationary pressure

28 March 2025
Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Center building, pictured on March 20, is the headquarters for the Li Ka-shing family's empire. (Photo by Kenji Kawase)
Companies

CK Hutchison tilts more to Europe than China, results show, amid Panama row

Shares fall as Li Ka-shing empire feels geopolitical heat from Trump and Beijing

21 March 2025
Balboa Port, operated by a CK Hutchison group company, is pictured in Panama on March 4, after the sale was announced.
Equities

CK Hutchison shares volatile as China scrutinizes Panama ports sale

Li Ka-shing family empire faces questions over communication with Beijing

17 March 2025
Volkswagen cars wait for delivery at the company's Autostadt complex in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Electric vehicles

Volkswagen, Renault draw closer to China on EVs despite EU tariffs

Earnings shrink at 5 European automakers, spurring cost-saving tie-ups with China

17 March 2025
Hong Kong's 50,000-seat, $4.1 billion Kai Tak Sports Park opened on March 1.
Media & Entertainment

Hong Kong woos global stars after missing out on Taylor Swift

New 50,000-seat stadium boosts city's mega-events scene

15 March 2025
Weakness in Swire Pacific's main property business overwhelmed gains at its airline and drinks operations to push its profit for 2024 sharply lower. (Source photos by AP and Shinya Sawai)
Property

Swire profit falls 85% as Hong Kong office slump seen dragging into 2027

Property revaluation losses cancel out bounce from Cathay Pacific, Coca-Cola

13 March 2025
Hong Kong's slumping property market has prompted investors to seek alternative ways to generate income. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Property

Hong Kong property slump spurs shift of hotels to student housing

Investors seek new sources of income in distressed market

12 March 2025
A ship sails near Balboa Port on March 4 after Hong Kong's CK Hutchison Holdings agreed to sell its interests in a key Panama Canal port operator to a BlackRock-led consortium, amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to curb China's influence in the region.
Business deals

Panama seeks legal, financial documents on CK Hutchison port sale

Maritime authority to analyze BlackRock deal at cabinet's request

8 March 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders attend the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2024.
Your Week in Asia

China political meetings, top telecom expo, South Korea's new bourse

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

2 March 2025
Tokyo commuters: Most professionals in Japan no longer work five days a week in the office, according to a survey by international recruiter Hays. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki)
Business trends

Singapore and Japan lead Asia's shift toward flexible working

Professionals in China most likely to work full time in offices, survey finds

27 February 2025
Hong Kong's government is wrestling with how to raise revenues and close a hole in its budget, while maintaining its competitiveness as a financial center. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Economy

Hong Kong budget seeks AI growth, civil service savings as deficit swells

City's financial head dismisses tax hikes as solution to revenue woes

26 February 2025
Chinese markets have been on a roll, but U.S. President Donald Trump's administration threatens to dampen the mood with restrictions on technology investment as well as steep new shipping fees. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by AP)
Trade war

China markets' bright mood tested as Trump targets tech, shipping

Investors given 'wake-up call' on superpower confrontation, economist says

25 February 2025
A helicopter flies during an amphibious assault drill as part of the "Cobra Gold 2024" joint exercise at a Thai military base on March 1, 2024.
Your Week in Asia

Thai-U.S. military drills, Hong Kong budget, Indian watchdog's new boss

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

23 February 2025
A screen shows news footage of Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands with DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng during a symposium on private enterprises in Beijing on Feb. 17.
Equities

China stocks diverge as Xi's business outreach fuels tech surge

Hong Kong shares gain but mainland indexes fall after high-profile meeting

18 February 2025
A poster showing Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen outside a steel plant in Anyang, in China's Henan province, in 2019.
Trade war

China girds for 'indirect impact' from Trump's steel tariffs

U.S. move could close more doors just when Chinese steelmakers need exports most

11 February 2025
Japanese companies in Hong Kong reported dimming assessments of the city's economy and that of mainland China in the latest JETRO survey. (Photo by Kenji Kawase)
Business trends

Hong Kong follows China in complaining to WTO over Trump tariffs

Japanese and U.S. business pessimism about the city -- and mainland -- deepens

7 February 2025
The port of Cristobal in Colon, Panama. The Panama Ports Company, a unit of Hutchison Port Holdings -- part of Hong Kong's CK Hutchison conglomerate -- operates ports at both ends of the waterway: at Balboa on the Pacific and Cristobal on the Atlantic. 
US-China tensions

China's role in Trump's Panama Canal gambit: 5 things to know

Rubio demands 'immediate changes' to waterway where Hong Kong titan runs ports

3 February 2025
Chinese gamers play popular homegrown title Black Myth: Wukong. (Photo by Tomoko Wakasugi) 
Business trends

Chinese consumers become thrifty but ready to spend on relaxation

Hit products for 2024 reflect slowing economy and people's worries

30 December 2024
An event in Hong Kong exhibits 2,500 panda statues as visitors take pictures on Dec. 7. (Photo by Kensaku Ihara)
Travel & Leisure

Hong Kong fuels panda fever to spur spending with help from Beijing

City now has six pandas, the largest number outside mainland

10 December 2024
Following Donald Trump's win in the U.S. presidential election in early November, SGX's benchmark Straits Times Index rose to 17-year highs. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters)
Trading Asia

Singapore outruns Hong Kong in 'Trump trade' stock rally

ST Index bests Hang Seng as investors eye 'havens'; South Korean stocks fall further

9 December 2024
A Cathay Pacific aircraft takes off at Hong Kong International Airport on the day of the official launch of its third runway.
Travel & Leisure

Hong Kong airport expands as Trump tariffs loom

3 runways operating simultaneously reflects government's hope for higher traffic

29 November 2024
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate in New Delhi on Oct. 8 during polls in northern Haryana state. 
Your Week in Asia

India state polls, G20 summit, Hong Kong national security case

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

17 November 2024