Asia Economy
- China's factory activity grows at fastest pace since October, private survey shows, beating official reading - The RatingDog China General Manufacturing PMI, rose to 50.3 in January from 50.1 the previous month, in line with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll.
- India's finance minister projects modest fiscal consolidation in budget - Nirmala Sitharaman sees small improvements in fiscal deficit and debt-to-GDP ratio
- Is 'America First' starting to backfire as Washington's allies go it alone? - Trump's volatility and unpredictability, as well as tariffs and territorial threats, have spooked erstwhile allies.
- Scenic trains, cruises and concerts: China’s new plan to get consumers spending again - China rolled out a new work plan to boost services consumption as stimulus measures to boost households spending on goods have so far done little to lift demand.
- Indonesian stock exchange CEO resigns after $84 billion market wipe out - The rout was triggered by an announcement on Tuesday by index provider MSCI, warning of a potential downgrade of the country to "frontier" market status.
- Gold prices fall over 4%; Asia-Pacific shares trade mixed after Trump says he will name new Fed chair - Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed after U.S. President Donald Trump said that he will announce his choice for the next Federal Reserve chair on Friday.
- Trump reportedly says 'very dangerous' for UK to do business with China as Starmer looks to mend ties - Starmer is on a 4-day visit to China this week, the first trip by a British leader in eight years, signaling an attempt at resetting the bilateral ties.
- What tariffs? Toyota hits record sales in 2025, despite Trump’s auto levies - Toyota Motor retained its position as the world's top-selling automaker with record sales of 10.5 million in 2025, the Japanese auto giant reported on Thursday.
- China, U.K. vow to build long-term strategic partnership in bid to reset strained ties - U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he hopes to build "more sophisticated" ties with China as the two nations look to revive their bilateral relationship.
- Gold jumps over 3% to fresh highs as Asia stock markets trade mixed after U.S. Fed holds rates - The bullion rose more than 3% on Thursday to breach the $5,500 per ounce mark for the first time.