Asia Economist and CEO, Centennial Asia Advisors

Manu Bhaskaran

Asia Economist and CEO

Centennial Asia Advisors

At Centennial Asia Advisors, we tell it like it is. We have no vested interests, no need for a China wall, and no reason to skew our outlook any other way. With over 30 years experience covering Asia’s political economy, you can be sure our conclusions and analyses are based on the unadulterated facts. Through years of fine-tuning our research methodologies, we deliver a quality of macroeconomic analysis few other houses can match.

Centennial Asia Advisors is an independent research and advisory firm that works with governments, multilateral institutions, financial firms and leading MNCs.

Economic Policy and Strategic Advisors

Macroeconomics

<ul><li>India is surging in global competitiveness, gaining 16 positions in the rankings - the largest gain of any country ever. Backed by expanding government reforms and inherent long-term advantages, India’s capacity for upside growth surprise is strengthening.</li><li>ASEAN countries will be the main winners from China’s stagnating competitiveness due to structural issues and rising costs. Despite small falls in ASEAN’s rankings, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam have shown longer-term gains in competitiveness which reflect their rising growth potential.</li></ul>

India is surging in global competitiveness, gaining 16 positions in the rankings - the largest gain of any country ever. Backed by expanding government reforms and inherent long-term advantages, India’s capacity for upside growth surprise is strengthening.ASEAN countries will be the main winners from China’s stagnating competitiveness due to structural issues and rising costs. Despite small falls in ASEAN’s rankings, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam have shown longer-term gains in competitiveness which reflect their rising growth potential.

Global Competitiveness Index 2016: Winners and Losers in Asia

Founder, Riedel Research

David Riedel

Founder

Independent equity research on GEM Markets

Riedel Research

Riedel provides equity research and analysis to leading financial organizations. By becoming members of a region (Asia, Latin America, Emerging Europe or Global), organizations have access to an integrated set of services including:

Regular company coverage reports
Up-to-date investment decision advice (buy, hold, sell)
Monthly regional and global conference calls
Customized company reports and unlimited on-line access to the program's services.

Riedel provides research coverage of companies across the full range of market capitalization. Experienced research professionals in each market develop company reports and analysis as well as earnings models and projections. Ratings are Buy, Hold and Sell with a focus on compelling investment ideas - both long and short. Downloadable, dynamic earnings models are built to facilitate sensitivity analysis.

Please feel free to contact us for complimentary access to our written research.  We want to show you that our unique research flow can add value and help develop a long-term, high value-add relationship.

Riedel's model focuses on providing clients with unique insights and consulting in addition to unlimited access to all produced research This model allows members to receive exponential benefits for their retainer fees.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">Indonesia has been strong as investors have been more willing to invest in riskier assets throughout 2016.</li></ul><ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">Tax amnesty program being successful is part of the reason for the enthusiasm. Good for the currency and for government spending/infrastructure.</li></ul><ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">We believe that investor attitudes towards China are set to change in the coming months and that will be very positive for SE Asian markets.</li></ul><ul class="ul1"><li class="li1">
A period of relative uncertainty in Thailand and volatile politics in Philippines makes Indonesia one of the…</li></ul>

Indonesia has been strong as investors have been more willing to invest in riskier assets throughout 2016.Tax amnesty program being successful is part of the reason for the enthusiasm. Good for the currency and for government spending/infrastructure.We believe that investor attitudes towards China are set to change in the coming months and that will be very positive for SE Asian markets.
A period of relative uncertainty in Thailand and volatile politics in Philippines makes Indonesia one of the…

The Verdict on Investing in Indonesia - Riedel CNBC Interview

Unexpected momentum in tax amnestyTaxpayers have declared IDR2,963tr (74% of the IDR4,000tr target), with the government receiving IDR93.5tr in tax revenues (target of IDR165tr). However, repatriations of assets from offshore locations were lacklustre, reaching only IDR142.5tr or 14% of the IDR1000tr target.The government’s success in persuading high-profile tycoons to participate in the amnesty has helped, with dozens of business leaders in the Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry…

Unexpected momentum in tax amnestyTaxpayers have declared IDR2,963tr (74% of the IDR4,000tr target), with the government receiving IDR93.5tr in tax revenues (target of IDR165tr). However, repatriations of assets from offshore locations were lacklustre, reaching only IDR142.5tr or 14% of the IDR1000tr target.The government’s success in persuading high-profile tycoons to participate in the amnesty has helped, with dozens of business leaders in the Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry…

Indonesia's Tax Amnesty Success Reflects More Capable Governance

EM PM, Ecstrat

Emad Mostaque

EM PM

Ecstrat

Ecstrat is a consultancy advising on asset allocation between global equity markets, with a focus on the intersection of governments, geopolitics, governance and markets.
 
Over the past few years and more especially since the Great Financial Crisis (GFC), investors have become more focused on short-term market movements and real-time returns and have consequently neglected the analysis of the underlying structural themes that underpin longer term performance.
​
More specifically we believe that the evolution of governance-based relationships between investors, controlling shareholders, labour and the state is one of the primary determinants of both relative and absolute performance between individual equity markets.
 
We will endeavour to provide investors with some of the context surrounding governance-related issues which encompass many different disciplines including history, economics and political science, as well as the financial metrics which are the most obvious manifestation of the structural characteristics of each market.
 
We will pay particular attention to the shifts and potential inflection points for governance in individual markets as these are often the best lead indicators for both economic and market performance.

Senate and Congress have overridden President Obama's veto on the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism (JASTA) legislation, designed to allow families of victims of terror attacks on US soil to sue any member of foreign governments (specifically the Saudi government) for support of these acts.The stripping of sovereign immunity will have profound implications for global geopolitics and the increasingly strained relationship of Gulf states and their traditional Western allies, particularly at a time when the USA is pivoting away from the Middle East towards the perceived increasing threat in Asia.

Senate and Congress have overridden President Obama's veto on the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism (JASTA) legislation, designed to allow families of victims of terror attacks on US soil to sue any member of foreign governments (specifically the Saudi government) for support of these acts.The stripping of sovereign immunity will have profound implications for global geopolitics and the increasingly strained relationship of Gulf states and their traditional Western allies, particularly at a time when the USA is pivoting away from the Middle East towards the perceived increasing threat in Asia.

<ul><li>Asian economies are more likely to be resilient to the Fed’s rate increases if global demand is growing. Indeed, in light of a brighter trade outlook, the Fed could intensify the pace of rate hikes.</li><li>World trade remains in the doldrums but there are very early signs that US import demand is picking up and forward-looking indicators reflect a nascent uptick in the works.</li><li>Our take is that the world economy is finally coming out of a dark period of successive major shocks. What we are probably seeing is the natural healing process that occurs in economies as the worst effects of these shocks wears off. This is forming a base for a more resilient recovery around the world – so long as there are no more new shocks.</li></ul>

Asian economies are more likely to be resilient to the Fed’s rate increases if global demand is growing. Indeed, in light of a brighter trade outlook, the Fed could intensify the pace of rate hikes.World trade remains in the doldrums but there are very early signs that US import demand is picking up and forward-looking indicators reflect a nascent uptick in the works.Our take is that the world economy is finally coming out of a dark period of successive major shocks. What we are probably seeing is the natural healing process that occurs in economies as the worst effects of these shocks wears off. This is forming a base for a more resilient recovery around the world – so long as there are no more new shocks.

Looking Beyond the Fed: Is Demand for Asian Exports Picking Up?

Indonesia

iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF is an exchange-traded fund incorporated in the USA. The ETF seeks investment results that correspond to the performance of the MSCI Indonesia Investable Market Index.

iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF (EIDO US)

Global Competitiveness Index 2016: Winners and Losers in Asia

India is surging in global competitiveness, gaining 16 positions in the rankings - the largest gain of any country ever. Backed by expanding...

Manu Bhaskaran

The Verdict on Investing in Indonesia - Riedel CNBC Interview

Indonesia has been strong as investors have been more willing to invest in riskier assets throughout 2016.Tax amnesty program being successful is...

David Riedel

Indonesia's Tax Amnesty Success Reflects More Capable Governance

Unexpected momentum in tax amnestyTaxpayers have declared IDR2,963tr (74% of the IDR4,000tr target), with the government receiving IDR93.5tr in tax...

Manu Bhaskaran

JASTA Will Push Saudi East

Senate and Congress have overridden President Obama's veto on the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism (JASTA) legislation, designed to allow...

Emad Mostaque

Looking Beyond the Fed: Is Demand for Asian Exports Picking Up?

Asian economies are more likely to be resilient to the Fed’s rate increases if global demand is growing. Indeed, in light of a brighter trade...

Manu Bhaskaran