Secular trends underscore long-term prospects within Asia

ON ASIA

BEN SURTEES, fund manager at Far Eastern Equities on Asia

Perhaps inevitably in the context of peaking global leading indicators, there is a lot of conflicting data emerging from Asia. In terms of shipping container, air freight and passenger volumes, global trade appears to be growing at a healthy pace. Additionally, Q2 GDP figures from Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan have been robust. By contrast, Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports and technology companies globally are reporting a build-up of inventory suggesting weaker-than-anticipated end demand. The fragility of the recovery in Europe and the US remains a thorn in the side for Asian...