Reid Kirchenbauer

ASEAN Highway Opens: Connecting Asia’s Roads

ASEAN Highway Opens: Connecting Asia’s Roads

Last updated January 30th, 2019. The ASEAN highway connecting India, Myanmar, and Thailand has opened. It's a move that will surely strengthen trade and political cooperation among the three countries, Asian Highway No. 1 (AH1) is the most crucial part of this new...

Why Philippine Unemployment Rate is Asia’s Highest

Why Philippine Unemployment Rate is Asia’s Highest

Last updated December 21st, 2018.   Recent years saw rapid development in the Philippines which is now among the world's fastest growing markets. Solid economic trends will continue in the long term. Yet a high Philippine unemployment rate still plagues this...

How to Invest in the Vietnam Stock Market: A Full Guide

How to Invest in the Vietnam Stock Market: A Full Guide

Last updated November 27th, 2022.   Vietnam's stock market has been on investor's radars for awhile. The Southeast Asian nation's newfound popularity is partially because of Vietnam's similarities to China in the 1980s and 1990s during its earlier stages of...

Can Asia’s Startups Outperform Silicon Valley?

Can Asia’s Startups Outperform Silicon Valley?

Last updated June 2nd, 2023.   Just about every investor is aware of the innovation coming out of Silicon Valley, which enjoys the top "brand name" out of any global tech hub. Startups in Asia arguably have greater untapped potential than anywhere else in the...

Why Weak GDP Growth in Singapore Will Continue

Why Weak GDP Growth in Singapore Will Continue

Last updated December 20th, 2019.   Singapore's GDP growth is far weaker than economists hoped for, with some analysts blaming the nation's sluggish manufacturing sector along with an intensifying US-China trade war. Businesses are still trying to counteract this...

Myanmar Beer Industry Heats Up: Who Will Win?

Myanmar Beer Industry Heats Up: Who Will Win?

Last updated November 26th, 2019.   Heineken, one of the world's biggest brewing companies, is back in the Burmese market over two decades after its first attempt. Myanmar's former military junta condemned and sanctioned Heineken back in the late 1990s....

Why is Vietnam Foreign Investment Booming?

Why is Vietnam Foreign Investment Booming?

Last updated August 20th, 2022.   Vietnam certainly made amazing progress over the last decade. Their annual growth averaged above 6% with a remarkable CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 12%. That ranks Vietnam as Asia's second fastest growing economy, only...

Malaysian Ringgit Crisis: Did it Bottom Out?

Malaysian Ringgit Crisis: Did it Bottom Out?

Update for November, 2019: This article was originally written back in 2015, forecasting a decline in the Malaysian ringgit. Our predictions were accurate and the ringgit saw significant depreciation over the past few years. However, we now rate the currency a "buy"...

Are China Stocks in a Bubble? Yes, Probably

Are China Stocks in a Bubble? Yes, Probably

Update for October, 2019: This article was originally written in 2015. Our predictions were accurate and China stocks saw a significant decline over the past few years. However, we're still bearish on Chinese stocks and think they can fall even further. Information...

Singapore vs. Hong Kong: Battle of Asia’s Financial Hubs

Singapore vs. Hong Kong: Battle of Asia’s Financial Hubs

Last updated March 15th, 2023.   With a population exceeding four billion and growing fast, events in Asia will increasingly shape the whole world. Not every country will benefit equally from Asia's rise though.  The region's top finance hubs will facilitate...