The New North/South divide

A closer look at Asia

Understanding the performance between North and South Asian countries is essential when navigating the tricky market environment investors currently find themselves in.

The swift and successful way in which countries in the Asia Pacific region dealt with the coronavirus pandemic is well documented. However, though the Asia Pacific region as a whole held up well, the recovery and pace of growth has not been uniform across the region, with North Asian countries outperforming those in the South - creating a North/South divide. As the virus began to spread worldwide, North Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, and South Korea quickly implemented strict lockdown restrictions and rolled out extensive test-based programmes to curb the domestic spread of the v...