Chief Economist & Political Strategist, CrossASEAN Research

Prasenjit K. Basu

PK Basu has 35 years experience covering Asia's economies and markets (equities, fixed income and currencies), including 20 years covering the global economy. He was Chief Economist (SE Asia & India) at Credit Suisse First Boston for 5 years, and Chief Asia (x-Jpn) Economist at Daiwa Securities for a similar period. Among other roles, he was global head of research at Maybank Kim Eng, Malaysia equity research head and chief ASEAN economist at Macquarie, Chief Economist at ICICI Securities, ASEAN economist and Asia sector strategist at UBS and the first chief economist at Khazanah Nasional (where he was co-head of research, and led all agri-business initiatives). PK Basu started his career in the Asia Service of WEFA (Wharton Econometrics) in Philadelphia in 1990, rising to be Director of their Asia Service in June 1994. 
PK's book, "Asia Reborn: A continent rises from the ravages of Colonialism and War to a New Dynamism" won the Tata Literature First Book Award (non-fiction) for 2018. It is the first single chronicle of the modern economic and political history of the whole of Asia (from Iraq and Turkey to Korea and Japan, and everything in between), told from an Asian perspective.

Chief Economist & Political Strategist

Tory Landslide Prepares the Ground for an Economic Rebound for GB and Ireland

Agenda For The New Bank of England Governor… Ease and Quickly

Brexit & History's Recoil: Sinn Fein Empowered in Both Parts of Ireland

Boris Johnson's Almost-Pure Brexit Cabinet a Short-Term Positive; but the Union Is Doomed

Boris Delivers a Brexit Deal, Alongside the Long Postponed Dream of a United Ireland

Boris Johnson on Course to a Landslide that Will Enable Him to Deliver Brexit on Schedule

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Cross Asset Strategy

An authoritative exit poll (conducted jointly by the BBC, Sky and ITV) shows the Conservatives winning a landslide victory (368 seats out of 650 members in the House of Commons), with Labour (led by the Trotskyite Jeremy Corbyn) suffering its worst result since 1935, predicted to win just 191 seats. The SNP is predicted to sweep Scotland, winning 55 of the 59 seats there. This exit poll was very accurate in 2017, correctly predicting a hung parliament; even if the precise numbers turn out slightly different, the broad trend picked up by the poll is likely to be correct, in an election that saw a heavy turnout despite the cold weather. With a governing majority of 86, Boris Johnson is primed to "get Brexit done" before Christmas. All Conservative candidates have pledged to back the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU that PM Boris Johnson has negotiated. This provides for Northern Ireland to remain in a permanent Customs Union with the Republic of Ireland, effectively introducing a new Customs border between Great Britain and the whole of Ireland. The United Kingdom will thus cease to exist as a single commercial entity. The economic reunion with Ireland is likely to be good for Northern Ireland (although it will initially be hamstrung by the use of different currencies in the north and south), with stronger investment flows and job creation creating an inexorable logic for the political reunification of Ireland after 98 years of separation. The clear mandate for the Tories will be a big boost for GBP and the markets, removing the uncertainty over Scottish secession for at least the next 5 years, and particularly forcing the Labour party to abandon its quixotic quest to nationalize all industry (energy, telecoms, railways, post and even the elite school system), a factor that was hanging like Damocles Sword over the British financial system. The most contentious aspect of future EU-UK trade relations has been neatly resolved by allowing Northern Ireland to remain permanently in a Customs Union with the EU. It will be much easier to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) between Great Britain and the EU than commentators currently expect. Boris Johnson is likely to complete the FTA negotiation by mid-2020 and move on to negotiate new trade agreements with the US, India, possibly China and other trade partners over the next couple of years.

An authoritative exit poll (conducted jointly by the BBC, Sky and ITV) shows the Conservatives winning a landslide victory (368 seats out of 650 members in the House of Commons), with Labour (led by the Trotskyite Jeremy Corbyn) suffering its worst result since 1935, predicted to win just 191 seats. The SNP is predicted to sweep Scotland, winning 55 of the 59 seats there. This exit poll was very accurate in 2017, correctly predicting a hung parliament; even if the precise numbers turn out slightly different, the broad trend picked up by the poll is likely to be correct, in an election that saw a heavy turnout despite the cold weather. With a governing majority of 86, Boris Johnson is primed to "get Brexit done" before Christmas. All Conservative candidates have pledged to back the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU that PM Boris Johnson has negotiated. This provides for Northern Ireland to remain in a permanent Customs Union with the Republic of Ireland, effectively introducing a new Customs border between Great Britain and the whole of Ireland. The United Kingdom will thus cease to exist as a single commercial entity. The economic reunion with Ireland is likely to be good for Northern Ireland (although it will initially be hamstrung by the use of different currencies in the north and south), with stronger investment flows and job creation creating an inexorable logic for the political reunification of Ireland after 98 years of separation. The clear mandate for the Tories will be a big boost for GBP and the markets, removing the uncertainty over Scottish secession for at least the next 5 years, and particularly forcing the Labour party to abandon its quixotic quest to nationalize all industry (energy, telecoms, railways, post and even the elite school system), a factor that was hanging like Damocles Sword over the British financial system. The most contentious aspect of future EU-UK trade relations has been neatly resolved by allowing Northern Ireland to remain permanently in a Customs Union with the EU. It will be much easier to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) between Great Britain and the EU than commentators currently expect. Boris Johnson is likely to complete the FTA negotiation by mid-2020 and move on to negotiate new trade agreements with the US, India, possibly China and other trade partners over the next couple of years. 

보리스 존슨, 대처주의 보수당 압승: 영국에는 좋지만 영국은 끝났다