The Asia Eight

Daily must-reads from the world’s most dynamic region

February 15, 2021

1 TOP STORY: Has Beijing shot itself in foot on energy policy?

2 ATF TV: Deep dive look into Chinese bonds and defaults

3 NEWS: EVs and chips set to dominate the Year of the Ox

4 ASIA MARKETS: HSI and CSI300 closed. Nikkei 225 surges

5 NEWS: Google, Facebook agree to Oz news compensation

6 COMMENT: Central banks, investors prepare for reflation

7 NEWS: Japanese economy shows sustained expansion

8 ATF BIG PICTURE: Nations shifting to renewable energy

01 Top Story Beijing trips on misguided energy policy

China approved a near-record number of new coal plants in 2020 to help provinces weather the impact of Covid-19 crisis, but now the Environment Ministry has called on national energy chiefs to explain why they allowed a rash of new projects that skirt regulations and put Xi’s carbon neutral goal in jeopardy

02 ATF TV China bonds

Mushtaq Kapasi of ICMA Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong takes a deep dive into Chinese bonds and defaults

03 EVs, chips in Year of Ox

The electrification of vehicles to eliminate fuel emissions has led to a reimagining of the possibilities for automotive vehicles in the years ahead; developments with computer chips and 5G-6G technology offer the chance of connectivity that could vastly change the nature of travel by car, and it need not be limited to roads

04 Asia Markets

HSI and CSI300 closed while Nikkei 225 surges 1.9% to 30,084.15

05 Big tech's Oz news deal

Observers say Canberra's 'world first' law forced tech giants to reach agreements over news they use from local outlets; First agreement reportedly worth US$23 million a year signed on Monday by SevenWest and Google; others deals said to be pending

06 Comment

"Inflation expectations are likely to be somewhat volatile during the first half of this year. Data releases will exhibit the so-called base effect, making it harder to identify a trend. Hence rates will peak before stabilising."

Mark Konyn, Group Chief Investment Officer at AIA

07 Japan economy grows

Government data suggest the world's third-largest economy had a relatively strong comeback from Covid-19 pandemic; it is now cleaning up after a weekend earthquake; Covid vaccinations set to start this week, while stocks are near a 30-year high

08 ATF Big Picture