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PROPERTY INVESTMENT
Buying a Condo in Dubai: The Ultimate Guide
Consider buying a condo in Dubai if you’re looking to live or invest in a vibrant city with low taxes and extraordinary future prospects. Dubai is rather welcoming to foreigners who want to buy property or otherwise invest here. Giving one example, Dubai allows...
How to Invest in Kazakhstan: Asia’s Overlooked Powerhouse
Last updated May 1st, 2023. Why would anyone ever want to invest in Kazakhstan? The short answer: it's an undiscovered gem with a strategic location, right in the middle of high-growth central Asia. During the 2020s, global investors will look at Asian markets...
Property Developers in Asia: Why You Shouldn’t Buy From Them
Last updated April 19th, 2023. When people hear about excellent business opportunities in Asia, they often act as if investing their money into any enterprise - whether it's a real estate development or otherwise - will make them a fortune. Naturally, this...
Best Countries to Invest in 2023
The past few years have been interesting for global markets, to say the least, and it’s unlikely that 2023 will be any different. As such, the best countries to invest for 2023 are ones with a longstanding record of growth and stability. We’re going through a period...
Why Your Vacation Home Isn’t a Good Investment
Last updated June 6th, 2023. For about a decade, we've advised our clients and readers that they shouldn't combine a vacation home with an investment. Mixing up a lifestyle purchase with a serious investment just isn't a good idea. The past few years have...
Don’t Invest in Myanmar: Here’s Why
Update for 2023: Some Burmese readers were upset at time, but we’re happy to have advised that investing in Myanmar was a bad idea years before the fact became obvious. This article was originally published back in 2017, and you can read our unaltered predictions from...
ECONOMIC NEWS
How to Invest for Inflation: Protect Your Portfolio
Last updated March 4th, 2023. A metaphorically infinite number of dollars is chasing a limited number of goods. The result? INFLATION! There’s no ignoring the elephant in the room – it’s gotten so large that there’s barely any room left. Open any financial...
ASEAN vs. China: Battle to Attract Foreign Investment
Last updated March 14th, 2023. In the battle of ASEAN vs. China, tides have turned and Southeast Asia is on top regarding its ability to attract foreign investment... for now. The ASEAN region, for anyone who doesn't know, is an economic bloc composed of ten...
Great Lockdown: Why Southeast Asia Will Outperform
Since the beginning of 2020, the world economy has been reeling from the onset of a global pandemic, the likes of which has not been seen since the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918. The economic impacts of this event have been dubbed "The Great Lockdown". Western...
China Economic Growth Slows, But They Have a Plan
Last updated April 9th, 2022. Lately, there has been tons of media coverage about an economic slowdown in China. Financial analysts on television talk about about how China growth will soon face a “hard landing” while its economy crashes in the near future. And...
Massive Debt in Thailand Burdens its Economy
Last updated May 24th, 2023. Rising consumer debt in Thailand is still a major source of risk for the Southeast Asian market, even with GDP growth at its lowest level in nearly a decade. Thai household debt accelerated rapidly, largely because of tax breaks on car and...
3 Weak Emerging Markets That Are Barely Growing
Last updated August 17th, 2022. The term “emerging market” brings to mind a country which is growing quicker than most others. Emerging markets are typically going through a phase rapid urbanization, rising foreign investment, and improved infrastructure...
FRONTIER MARKETS
Can Vietnam’s Economy Stay the Strongest in Asia?
Last updated October 18th, 2022. Officially, Vietnam remains one of the few communist countries left on earth. Yet over the past few decades, this rapidly growing nation of 100 million people turned into a capitalist powerhouse... and did so mostly unnoticed....
Why Tech Startups in Vietnam Are Booming
Last updated February 15th, 2023. Startups in Vietnam have access to all the conditions required to hatch multi-million dollar tech firms. Having attracted a rising large amount of foreign investment from global players, Vietnam and its startup scene deserves...
This Country Avoided Recession for 30 Years
Last updated November 21st, 2022. Recessions are a fact of life in most countries. They seem to arrive every 7 years or so on average, leaving unemployment and stock market collapses in their wake. Many investors dream of endless growth without worrying about...
How to Invest in Cambodia: Asia’s Top Frontier Market
Last updated February 2nd, 2023. Cambodia is among the world's fastest growing countries. It's also one of the most accessible frontier markets to foreign investors. Generally unexplored, and certainly undervalued, multinational firms including Samsung and Nike and...
3 Changes to Know Before Investing in Myanmar
Last updated April 8th, 2022. The process of opening up and liberalizing a developing nation is never an easy task. It's especially hard for Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country which was closed off from the world economy until 2008... and then underwent a coup barely a...
Why Frontier Economies Will Outperform in the 2020s
Last updated February 8th, 2023. Frontier economies will outpace developed economies in the 2020s because of a simple mathematical truth. 1+1 equals 2, which is a 100% increase. Meanwhile, 100+1 equals 101, and that’s merely a 1% increase. In other words, a...
STOCK MARKET
Top 3 Dividend Stocks in Singapore
Traders often prefer stocks that yield high dividend payouts because of their stable cash flow. As arguably the most stable country in Asia, Singapore's top dividend stocks may be a wise purchase for the conservative investor. Singapore offers traders a type of safety...
Buying REITs in Asia: Here’s How to Start
Last updated February 28th, 2023. REITs in Asia are a diverse bunch. These funds invest in a wide range of property from multibillion dollar commercial malls in city center locations, to logistics warehouses in emerging markets. There’s an old investing maxim...
Buying Stocks in Asia: The Ultimate Guide
Last updated March 24th, 2023. Buying stocks in Asia is a superb way to enhance your portfolio. The continent hosts over three dozen equity exchanges and a diverse range of different countries, from fully developed economies to frontier markets. Asia is the...
Buying Stocks in Singapore: A Foreigner’s Guide
Last updated January 3rd, 2023. On most maps, Singapore is so small that it only shows up as a red dot. But despite its small size, it has gone against all odds - from being exceedingly poor a few decades ago, it is now among the richest territories on Earth....
Myanmar Stock Exchange: Is it Failing?
Myanmar has shown rapid improvement and modernization in the past couple of years. Steps the Southeast Asian country recently took include changing to an elected (albeit highly flawed) government and bringing in record foreign investment numbers. Back in 2015, Myanmar...
How to Buy and Trade Stocks in China
Last updated April 5th, 2023. You’re able to access a greater number of stock trading opportunities in China than anywhere else in Asia. Indeed, China’s three exchanges host the continent's largest collection of listed companies in terms of market cap. Recent...
ASIAN CURRENCIES
The 3 Worst Currencies in Asia: Don’t Buy These
Last updated May 30th, 2022. Diversifying your portfolio into different currencies is a great way to limit reliance on a single country's financial system. Currencies in Asia, of which there are over fifty, can be ranked on a scale from "very stable" to...
Top 5 Safest Currencies in Asia: Hold These in a Crisis
Last updated April 20th, 2023. High inflation, combined with rising interest rates, now rank among the top concerns that investors have about the global economy. It's natural that people want to hold currencies that will maintain their value - whether in Asia or...
3 Most Stable Currencies in a Recession
Last updated December 25th, 2022. The world economy is facing uncertain times. Family offices and other large wealth managers are hoarding cash, while governments from China to Switzerland are buying up gold. I’m not necessarily saying that a recession...
Chinese Yuan’s Future: Will it Rise or Fall?
China has transformed into one of the world’s strongest economic powers over the past few decades. As a result, its Yuan quickly became one of the most prominent global currencies. The Chinese Yuan's use is now widespread from London to Singapore. Estimates rank it as...
Why the Singapore Dollar is Undervalued
Last updated March 11th, 2019. Asian currencies, with the exception of a rare few, suffered major depreciation over the past few years. The decline was broad-based with almost every currency in the region falling by at least 10% against the U.S. dollar and other major...
3 Currencies in Asia That Will Make a Comeback
Last updated September 6th, 2019. Practically every single currency in the world has depreciated against the US Dollar since 2016. Some rare exceptions, such as the Swiss Franc, have outperformed the greenback. Not many can boast a stronger performance than the...
PROPERTY DEVELOPERS
Top 8 Korea Property Developers: A Complete Guide
Last updated December 16th, 2022. South Korea recently escaped the middle-income trap to join Singapore and Japan as the Asia-Pacific region’s third wealthiest country. As such, Korea property developers benefit from the nation's rising home demand. This puts...
Top 10 Indonesia Property Developers: Complete Guide
Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia famed for its natural beauty, but don’t let this fool you into thinking it’s undeveloped. It's the largest economy in the region and classified as newly industrialized. Indonesia property developers are among Southeast Asia's...
Top 10 Japan Property Developers: A Complete Guide
Last updated March 16th, 2023. In many respects, Japan is unique in its history and culture. Investors will find that Japanese property developers are also unique in their finances and approaches to real estate. If you come from the Western world, you’re likely not...
Top 10 China Property Developers: A Complete Guide
Last updated April 30th, 2023. China is Asia’s quintessential success story. Since the 1980s, the country has transformed into an economic powerhouse. And Chinese property developers have certainly helped fuel nation's rapid change. The Chinese construction...
Top 10 Vietnam Property Developers: A Complete Guide
Buying real estate in Vietnam is a solid bet on economic, demographic, and political trends. And choosing a good property developer in Vietnam is among your most important first steps of investing here. Vietnam's economy and population are growing. Thanks to a strong...
Top 10 Cambodia Property Developers: Complete Guide
Cambodia, with its strong appreciation potential and high rental yields exceeding 6%, is arguably the best place to buy real estate in Southeast Asia right now. Property developers in Cambodia meet a truly global standard as well. Despite the country’s troubled past,...
COUNTRY GUIDES
Investing in Thailand Property: The Ultimate Guide
Last updated February 26th, 2023. A greater number of foreigners buy property in Thailand than any other country in Asia. There are several reasons why Thailand is the most popular choice among real estate investors worldwide. Located in the heart of Southeast...
Investing in Korea Property: The Ultimate Guide
Last updated November 13th, 2022. Compared to neighboring Japan, anyone investing in South Korea property saw significantly better performance over the past few decades. South Korea is located in a triangle of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the Sea of...
Investing in Japan Property: The Ultimate Guide
Last updated January 9th, 2023. Holding claim to the world’s third largest economy, Japan is one of Asia’s main growth engines. Buying property in Japan means you’re investing in one of the most heavily-urbanized and developed nations on the planet. Japan isn’t...
Investing in Indonesia Property: The Ultimate Guide
Last updated February 16th, 2023. Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest and most populous country. Nonetheless, it has stayed off the radar of investors despite strong economic growth combined with an enormous consumer market. The Indonesian economy is also...
Investing in Philippines Property: The Ultimate Guide
Last updated March 2nd, 2023. Buying Philippines property is a bet on economic and demographic trends. Not only is the Philippines isn't just Southeast Asia’s second most populous country with over 100 million people - it's also among the region's fastest...
Investing in Singapore Property: The Ultimate Guide
Last updated February 17th, 2023. Buying property in Singapore means making an investment in Southeast Asia’s de-facto financial center, and one of the world’s wealthiest nations. While the city is among the world’s most expensive, Singapore’s real estate...
OFFSHORE BANKING
The 12 Best Banks in Qatar
The Qatari banking system is one of the world’s most advanced and highly developed. With the Gulf state’s continuously growing wealth, more people want to live and invest in Qatar than ever before. Yet foreign expats sometimes miss crucial details when starting their...
9 Countries Without Income Tax
Income tax is a major source of revenue for governments around the world. However, there are some countries in Asia that have chosen to do away with income tax altogether. You might ask, how could a country possibly afford to not have any income tax? Well, in many...
Top 10 Safest Banks in Asia
Banks in Asia are ranked among the world's safest. In fact, they're far better-capitalized than their counterparts in the US. Yet this wasn't always true. Not long ago, Switzerland and Liechtenstein were considered the "gold standard" of countries to hold money...
How to Open a Singapore Bank Account as a Foreigner
Last updated March 28th, 2023. Despite its small population of six million, Singapore acts as Southeast Asia’s main financial center. The city-state developed rapidly in the early 2000s, and today, it ranks among the world’s top banking hubs. Singapore...
5 Highest Bank Deposit Interest Rates in the World
Last updated March 22nd, 2023. Bank deposit interest rates across the world are rising, and it's once again becoming practical to make money with a basic savings account. Gone are the days of near-zero interest rates. In some countries, deposit rates are higher...
How to Open a Thai Bank Account: A Foreigner’s Guide
Last updated February 19th, 2023. A greater number of foreigners live in Thailand than anywhere else in Southeast Asia. Naturally then, there’s a strong demand for opening bank accounts here. Yet the rules have always been unclear. I've successfully opened nearly a...
LIFESTYLE
Living in Malaysia: The Expat Guide
Malaysia has long been a popular destination for expats, with many attracted to the country's high standard of living, low cost of living, and friendly people. Located between the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo, Malaysia ranks as the second-wealthiest...
APEC Business Travel Card: Best Way to Skip Airport Lines?
For those who travel between Asia for work, long immigration lines and confusing visa requirements may seem like an unavoidable part of a business trip. Yet some travelers have discovered the secret to bypassing these tedious experiences. If you're a frequent business...
Living in Thailand: The Expat Guide
Thailand has long been a popular destination for expats, drawing retirees, digital nomads, and many seeking to begin a new life abroad. Arguably, Thailand is home to a greater number of expats than anywhere else in Asia. The expat community in Thailand has grown to...
Why Your Vacation Home Isn’t a Good Investment
Last updated June 6th, 2023. For about a decade, we've advised our clients and readers that they shouldn't combine a vacation home with an investment. Mixing up a lifestyle purchase with a serious investment just isn't a good idea. The past few years have...
Top 5 Countries to Retire in Asia
Last updated January 12th, 2023. Choosing where you want to spend the rest of your life when you retire can be a tough decision. If you’ve considered retiring in Asia, though, you are already on a great path. This article will help you figure out which country...
Buying a Condo in Pattaya: The Ultimate Guide
Last updated March 12th. 2023. Thailand is one of Asia's most popular foreign condo ownership destinations. A major reason is because tourists visit and decide to buy real estate in the country. Looking across Thailand, there are multiple cities where you can...
RECESSION AVOIDANCE
How to Invest for Inflation: Protect Your Portfolio
Last updated March 4th, 2023. A metaphorically infinite number of dollars is chasing a limited number of goods. The result? INFLATION! There’s no ignoring the elephant in the room – it’s gotten so large that there’s barely any room left. Open any financial...
This Country Avoided Recession for 30 Years
Last updated November 21st, 2022. Recessions are a fact of life in most countries. They seem to arrive every 7 years or so on average, leaving unemployment and stock market collapses in their wake. Many investors dream of endless growth without worrying about...
3 Most Stable Currencies in a Recession
Last updated December 25th, 2022. The world economy is facing uncertain times. Family offices and other large wealth managers are hoarding cash, while governments from China to Switzerland are buying up gold. I’m not necessarily saying that a recession...
How to Avoid a Recession? Invest in These 3 Markets
Last updated February 9th, 2023. People are often surprised to learn that some countries skipped the 2008 Global Financial Crisis completely. It's even more shocking that several places have managed to avoid recession for over two decades. A select few markets,...
Best Investments for a Recession: Are You Prepared?
Last updated June 14th, 2022. If you're concerned about the potential of a future economic downturn, you aren't alone. People around the world are wondering: what are the best investments in a recession? A recession strikes the international economy once every...
3 Countries That Have Been Recession Proof
Last updated November 19th, 2022. We should start this article off by clarifying: there’s no such thing as a truly recession proof country. This should be obvious. Every investment has its risks. Anywhere can plunge into a recession with little notice. With...