by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog, Editor's Picks, Guides
Across the global media, stories about the Philippines typically revolve around its brutal drug war. So, if you’ve never visited the Philippines, you might be thinking, “why would I ever want a condo in Manila?” While the country does have a bad reputation,...
by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog
China’s goals are becoming even more globally ambitious as its size and influence grows. Having already taken the title of world’s largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity, this trend will almost surely continue into the 2020s. Right now, China is focusing...
by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog, Editor's Picks, Introduction
We’re finally beginning a new decade! At the same time, we’re also continuing the longest bull market in modern history. The global economy hasn’t had a recession since the previous crisis in 2008. For a comparison, the world’s second longest bull market happened in...
by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog
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 between 2010 and 2013, largely because of tax breaks on car and...
by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog
In less than a half-century, Singapore transformed from an undeveloped swampland into one of the world’s wealthiest countries. As a result, property in Singapore is highly sought-after, and it’s among the most expensive in the world. In fact, only Hong Kong has a more...
by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog
The term “emerging market” brings to mind a country that’s growing quicker than most others. Such economies are normally seeing rapid urbanization, rising foreign investment, and greatly improved infrastructure quality. All those things help emerging markets,...
by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog, Guides
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 dozen Thai bank accounts...
by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog, Currencies, Editor's Picks
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 is imminent – nobody can predict the future. But...
by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog
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...
by Reid Kirchenbauer | Blog
China usually comes to mind first when Asia’s economic growth is mentioned – and for a good reason. It’s both the world’s largest exporter and manufacturer by a wide margin. With that said, several factors point to a lack of competitiveness in Chinese...
