Microsoft to invest $1.7 billion into AI infrastructure in Indonesia

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (C) arrives for a meeting with Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on April 30, 2024. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP) (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images) Bay Ismoyo | Afp | Getty Images Microsoft on Tuesday said it will pump $1.7 billion into Indonesia … Read more

China manufacturing PMI, yen intervention

An editorial montage of the Japan flag and Japanese yen cash bank notes. Javier Ghersi | Moment | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets largely rose on Tuesday, tracking Wall Street moves, with investors awaiting China manufacturing purchasing managers’ index for April. Japan’s top currency diplomat Masato Kanda reportedly declined to comment on whether the finance ministry … Read more

Samsung Electronics’ operating profit jumps 932.8% in first quarter, beats expectations

Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy S24 smartphones during a media preview event in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Samsung, the world’s most prolific smartphone maker, is leaning into artificial intelligence as the key to unlocking greater sales this year. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images Samsung … Read more

Thailand central bank won’t act on ‘political’ pressure: BOT governor

Political pressure won’t force the hand of Thailand’s central bank in making its interest rate decisions independently, the country’s central bank chief told CNBC on Monday. “The proof is in the pudding,” Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia.” Despite the “clamoring” for rate cuts, the BOT didn’t act on it … Read more

Policy continuity for strong economic growth, Nomura says

Laborers work at a coastal road project construction site in Mumbai on January 12, 2022. Punit Paranjpe | Afp | Getty Images Optimism in India’s growth shows little signs of slowing, but policy continuity will be crucial if it wants to see strong growth in the next five years, Rob Subbaraman, Nomura’s chief economist and … Read more

Japanese yen weakens to 160 against the U.S. dollar for the first time since 1990

The Japanese yen has weakened significantly against the dollar in 2022. Stanislav Kogiku | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images The Japanese yen weakened to 160 against the U.S. dollar in Monday morning trading in Asia. The yen briefly touched 160.03 against the dollar, the weakest level since April 1990 when it touched 160.15, … Read more

Asia most impacted by extreme weather and climate in 2023: WMO

Sarote Pruksachat | Moment | Getty Images Asia was the most disaster-hit region in the world last year as extreme weather and climate threats intensified amid global warming, according to the World Meteorological Organization, the UN’s weather agency. “Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage … Read more

Bank of Japan keeps monetary policy unchanged

A pedestrian walks past the Bank of Japan (BoJ) building in central Tokyo on July 28, 2023. Richard A. Brooks | Afp | Getty Images The Bank of Japan kept its policy rate unchanged Friday after its monetary policy meeting, holding its benchmark policy rate at 0%-0.1%. This is in line with expectations from economists … Read more

India says new EV policy will open up market to global players

India is confident that its new electric vehicle policy measures will open up the market to more global players, said the country’s secretary of the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. Last month, the government rolled out key initiatives aimed at bolstering the country’s position in EV manufacturing. “It involves concessional tariffs for … Read more

Inflation, high costs had biggest impact on Asian firms in 2023: UOB

Customers work a cafe and a co-working space in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday, July 20, 2023.  Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Higher costs had the biggest impact on Asian businesses in 2023, even as they continued to grapple with a global economic slowdown and rising borrowing costs, according to a survey by UOB.  More … Read more