Philippine central bank Governor Nestor Espenilla laid out the case for another interest rate increase, citing broadening price pressures, tighter United States (US) monetary policy and a currency slump.While Espenilla stopped short of saying that a rate hike is on the cards on Wednesday, he said in an interview that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) aims to anchor inflation back to its target next year.

Thailand’s proposal for a five-year master plan to improve mainland Southeast Asia consisting of Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Lao PDR and Vietnam has been well received by leaders of participating nations. The long-term outline, was announced by Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha at the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit held in Bangkok last week.

To consolidate its growing economy, Vietnam is looking to launch Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to boost growth and to attract foreign investments to the country. The three SEZs are slated for development in Van Don, North Van Phong and Phu Quoc. According to Vietnam Investment Review in January 2018, draft laws for the SEZs are being discussed and are nearing completion. Vietnam’s economic growthVietnam’s economy in 2017 was deemed to be one of the best performing in the region.

Every four years, as football fans gear up for the World Cup, researchers engage in a game of their own: trying to determine just how costly the tournament is to employers and economies. Our own contribution to this genre suggests that the calculation is a bit more complex than is generally acknowledged.To calculate the number of productive hours at risk in this year's tournament, we assume local office hours are between 9:00 a.m.

Negotiators of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) have, for the past six years, weathered many rounds of negotiations and ministerial meetings but the trade deal still hasn’t come to fruition.

Volkswagen AG (VW) will pay a US$1.2 billion fine imposed by German prosecutors for cheating to get around diesel-emissions regulations, closing one chapter in a three-year-old crisis even as new developments arise.The world’s biggest automaker accepts the fine and takes responsibility for its actions, Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday after markets closed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will discuss how to boost oil production while maintaining their petro-alliance when they meet in Moscow to watch the soccer World Cup’s opening match between the two countries.The world’s largest oil exporters are negotiating how to rework their unprecedented, and successful, deal to control oil production as United States (US) sanctions on Iran and the collapse of the Venezuelan petroleum industry threaten to send c

On Sunday, Xi and Putin toasted the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an eight-member bloc designed to coordinate security policies across Asia.

Over the past decade, Southeast Asia has increasingly become one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. This comes as no surprise as the region isn’t short of beautiful beaches, lush forests and historical sacred sites. Southeast Asia also has its fair share of UNESCO World Heritage sites. With such attractions and the proliferation of budget airlines, the number of tourists in the region has risen rapidly.

Thailand is becoming an oasis of monetary policy stability as other emerging markets scramble to raise interest rates.The country’s Finance Ministry anticipates that borrowing costs will be left at 1.5 percent this year, said Kulaya Tantitemit, a spokeswoman and an inspector general at the ministry. While an increase is possible in 2019, it won’t be steep, she said.“It wouldn’t be aggressive,” Kulaya said in an interview Wednesday, referring to a potential tightening next year.