Chief Economist, Aletheia Capital

Dr. Jim Walker

Jim Walker is the chief economist at Aletheia Analyst Network Limited, an independent research platform for the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining Aletheia he was the founder and chief economist at Asianomics Group an economics and strategy research consultancy company formed in late 2007. 

Before establishing Asianomics he was the chief economist at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. He joined CLSA in late 1991. Over the years Dr Jim achieved numerous ‘best economist’ rankings in the Asiamoney, Institutional Investor and Greenwich surveys of fund managers. In 1995 he wrote about the prospect of Asia being forced off its de facto dollar peg “within the next two-three years”. The Asian Crisis, precipitated by the Thai baht devaluation, began in July 1997.

In recent years he is best known for forecasting the US 2007 downturn and financial sector meltdown in his series of ‘Apocalypse’ reports. He remains deeply sceptical of the prevailing wisdom in central banks’ approach to monetary policy.

Over the years he has also developed an approach to analysing Asian economies based on profit and credit cycles where the importance of investment spending as the driver of economic activity is explained.

Early in his career he worked in his native Scotland as a research fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute for Research on the Scottish Economy, and then at The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Edinburgh headquarters. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree and a doctorate in economics from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Chief Economist

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Independent and original Asian investment research

Aletheia Capital

Aletheia Capital (HK) Ltd. (previously known as Asianomics) combines the extensive knowledge of its experienced team with technology and regulatory changes to disrupt Global Markets business in Asia. The firm is completely independent with no conflicts of interest either on Investment Banking advisory or Capital Markets execution.

Macroeconomics

Of the Asian frontier markets the one with the most violent recent past is Sri Lanka. The end of the civil war in 2009 was seen as an opportunity for the jewel of the Indian Ocean to set aside its internal difficulties and re-establish itself as an investment home in South Asia. But despite some good initial progress internal political warfare re-emerged with a vengeance as the corrupt Rajapaksa regime attempted to corner everything in the country.But the then-president overstepped the mark and was ousted in 2015 in a surprise presidential election result. His old party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the long-standing opposition, the United National Party, then formed a government of national unity at the General Election held later that year. But the president and parliament have failed to deliver on their promises. National reconciliation is still to be achieved even as Sri Lanka celebrated its seventieth anniversary in February.In Sri Lanka: At 70, our regular Sri Lanka correspondent, Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamutta of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, surveyed the messy political landscape and concluded that the government needed to redouble its efforts on the corruption front or risk the return of the Rajapaksas. The latest burst of ethnic violence, this time against the Muslim minority, just complicates the issue more. We thought we would share his analysis with you.Beautiful place, beautiful people, lousy politics.

Of the Asian frontier markets the one with the most violent recent past is Sri Lanka. The end of the civil war in 2009 was seen as an opportunity for the jewel of the Indian Ocean to set aside its internal difficulties and re-establish itself as an investment home in South Asia. But despite some good initial progress internal political warfare re-emerged with a vengeance as the corrupt Rajapaksa regime attempted to corner everything in the country.But the then-president overstepped the mark and was ousted in 2015 in a surprise presidential election result. His old party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the long-standing opposition, the United National Party, then formed a government of national unity at the General Election held later that year. But the president and parliament have failed to deliver on their promises. National reconciliation is still to be achieved even as Sri Lanka celebrated its seventieth anniversary in February.In Sri Lanka: At 70, our regular Sri Lanka correspondent, Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamutta of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, surveyed the messy political landscape and concluded that the government needed to redouble its efforts on the corruption front or risk the return of the Rajapaksas. The latest burst of ethnic violence, this time against the Muslim minority, just complicates the issue more. We thought we would share his analysis with you.Beautiful place, beautiful people, lousy politics.