THE EDGE INSIGHTS
Latest Economic Insights
Economic developments that matter to regional and global markets, analysed daily.
Asia Wrap: Japan's Highest Rate Since 1995 and the Yen Falls Anyway
The Bank of Japan raised and the yen fell anyway. The Nikkei 225 closed 1.38 percent higher at 65,018.95 on Friday after…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 17 September: The Fed Hike Crosses to Hong Kong at 4.25 Percent
Asia split on Thursday over the first session after the Federal Reserve’s quarter point rise: Hong Kong’s Base Rate moved to 4.25…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 16 September: Kospi Leads a Broad Rebound With the Fed Decision Hours Away
Every index on our Asia board except one rose on Wednesday, with Korea's Kospi the day's best at 1.37 percent higher and…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 15 September: Singapore Leads the Whole Board Lower as Yields Hit 2007 Highs
Every index on our Asia board fell on Tuesday, with Singapore's Straits Times the worst at 1.39 percent and Japan's Nikkei 225…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 14 September: Seoul Sinks 3.26 Percent as AI Chiefs Urge a Slowdown
Asia's chip heavy markets fell on Monday after the leaders of rival artificial intelligence laboratories united behind a call to slow the…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 11 September: Nikkei Sheds 1.93 Percent as Bond Yields Hit Multiyear Highs
Asia Pacific equities closed broadly lower on Friday, with the technology heavy Japanese and South Korean markets leading the retreat, as a…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 10 September: Hang Seng Sheds 1.27 Percent as Brent Holds Above 100 Dollars
Asian equity markets were mostly lower on Thursday, tracking Wall Street’s overnight decline as Brent crude held above 100 dollars a barrel,…
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Apple’s Foldable Lands at 1,999 Dollars and the Pro Rises 100: The Event Against Our Numbers
Apple priced its first foldable iPhone 1 dollar below the 2,000 dollar floor in the roadmap report we carried on 7 September.…
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Korea’s Aggregate Manufacturing Margin Hits 24 Percent, the Median Manufacturer 4.4
Operating profit at South Korea's externally audited manufacturers reached 24.0 percent of sales in the second quarter, against 5.1 percent a year…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 9 September: Brent Tops 100 Dollars as Korean Chips Rally and India Slips
Asian equity markets split on Wednesday as crude oil extended its rally, with Brent crude topping 100 dollars a barrel in Asian…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 8 September: Tokyo Falls 1.7 Percent as Brent Nears 100 Dollars and the Yen Firms
Asia fell on Tuesday as oil moved toward 100 dollars a barrel. Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 1,130.51 points, or 1.70 percent, to…
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China’s Eight Month Surplus Narrows as Imports Rise 22 Percent, Outpacing Exports
China's goods trade grew 17.6 percent in the first eight months of the year to 34.78 trillion yuan, the customs administration said…
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Korea’s Real National Income Rises 3.1 Percent as Terms of Trade Outpace 0.6 Percent Growth
South Korea's real gross national income rose 3.1 percent in the second quarter while real gross domestic product rose 0.6 percent, the…
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Apple’s 2,000 Dollar Foldable Meets a 94 Percent Inventory Build: The Numbers Before 9 September
Apple's new chief executive John Ternus takes the stage on Wednesday 9 September with a foldable iPhone expected to cost more than…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 7 September: The Kospi Jumps 4.6 Percent to the Edge of 7,000 as Chips Lift Seoul, Tokyo and Taipei
Asia rose on Monday with Wall Street closed for Labor Day. South Korea's Kospi rose 308.18 points, or 4.61 percent, to 6,995.39,…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 4 September: The Nikkei Reclaims 65,000 as 7 of 10 Markets Rise Before US Jobs
Asia bought Wall Street's relief on Friday. 7 of the 10 benchmarks in this wrap closed higher, on our count, led by…
Read more →South Korea’s Inflation Accelerates to 3.1 Percent as Reserves Climb to 442.3 Billion Dollars
South Korea's consumer price index rose 3.1 percent year on year in August 2026, up from 2.8 percent in July, the Ministry…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 3 September: The Yen Jumps and Brent Tops 97 Dollars as 6 of 10 Markets Rise
Asian equities steadied on Thursday after Wednesday's rout, with 6 of the 10 benchmarks in this wrap closing higher and the gap…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 2 September: 9 of 10 gauges fall as the Kospi drops 3.99 percent
Asian equity markets fell almost without exception on Wednesday 2 September 2026. Of the 10 gauges tracked here, covering 8 markets, 9…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 1 September: Taiex jumps 1.78 percent on the Nvidia MediaTek deal as 6 of 8 headline benchmarks fall
Taiwan's Taiex rose 1.78 percent to close at 46,948.72, its highest finish since 1 July and the day's high, as investors chased…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 31 August: Oil Jumps Almost 4 Percent as Iran Fires at US Bases in Jordan After Larak Strike, Asian Benchmarks Split Evenly
Oil prices extended their weekend surge into the Asian session on Monday, with West Texas Intermediate up 3.74 percent, on our calculation,…
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Asia Market Wrap 28 August: Kospi falls 1.79 percent as 7 of 10 Asian benchmarks rise
The Kospi fell 1.79 percent to 6,788.88 on Friday, the steepest decline on a board where 7 of the 10 Asian benchmarks…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 27 August: Korea Leads as Nvidia Lifts Chips and Bank of Korea Hikes Again
South Korea led Asian equities higher on Thursday as Nvidia's stronger than expected results lifted chip stocks across the region at the…
Read more →Asia Market Wrap 26 August: Chipmakers Lead as Oil Falls a Third Day on Hormuz Talks
Two of Asia's most semiconductor-heavy markets led the region higher on Wednesday, hours before Nvidia reports second-quarter results. Taiwan's Taiex rose 1.47…
Read more →Most Read
- Asia Market Wrap 7 October: All Eight Indices Fall as Seoul Drops 1.98 Percent
- The Week Ahead: The Federal Reserve Decides on 29 July, US Growth and Inflation Data Land, and the Megacap Technology Earnings Peak
- Asia Market Wrap 8 October: All Ten Indices Fall as Singapore Drops 3.49 Percent
- Asia Market Wrap 6 October: Nikkei Posts First Close Above 70,000 Since July as Kospi Falls
- Europe Market Wrap 9 October: All Nine Indices Rise as Basic Resources Jump 2.99 Percent