In the coming month of February, we will usher in the Chinese Lunar New Year, otherwise known as the Spring Festival. As most readers are aware, part of the fun during this festive season involves looking at our horoscopes for the new year based on the Chinese zodiac calendar. Horoscopes follow a classification scheme that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating 12-year cycle. Last year was the year of the dog, and this year will be the year of the boar.

During the second half of 2018, the Southeast Asian region was hit with a number of catastrophic events beginning with the dam collapse in Lao and involving several tragedies in Indonesia. The ASEAN Post would like to bring its readers back and revisit key events and happenings throughout the second half of 2018. JULYPerhaps two of the most memorable things to have happened in July in the region was Cambodia’s election and the Lao dam collapse.

2018 was a whirlwind of a year for Southeast Asia. The region experienced tragedies, achievements and faced many challenges in between. To commemorate the year as it draws to a close, The ASEAN Post would like to take readers on a journey to revisit key events and happenings in this region throughout 2018.JANUARYThe effects of Myanmar’s crackdown on the Rohingya in 2016 is still felt to this day.

With an improving global macroeconomic backdrop and relatively cheap valuations after a torrid 2018, the omens are looking better for Southeast Asian stocks next year.A likely pause in the Federal Reserve’s tightening cycle is already easing pressure on regional currencies, while lower oil prices are a boon for most markets.