The global economy found its post-crisis footing in 2017, with most major developing economies surprising on the upside.Comparing 2017 predictions made a year ago versus the likely outturn – based on the latest forecasts in Bloomberg’s monthly survey – shows that the pessimists called this one wrong. One of the biggest surprises was the euro area, set for its strongest expansion in a decade.

From mobile phones to furniture, Vietnam’s export boom shows no signs of losing steam, defying a gloomy outlook at the beginning of the year when U.S. President Donald Trump persisted with his trade threats.Furniture maker Xuan Hoa Viet Nam Co. is planning for a 20 percent increase in export orders next year by investing $3 million on equipment to expand production, General Director Le Duy Anh said in an interview.

Investors rejoicing over the Philippine peso’s rally to a six-month high should beware: the currency is predicted to be Asia’s worst performer next year.The peso will slide to 51 per dollar by end of 2018, a loss of 1.5 percent from current levels, according to the median estimate of a Bloomberg survey, with a most bearish projection of 56.

Oil held gains near the highest close in more than two weeks after government data showed crude stockpiles in the world’s largest economy slid more than forecast to a two-year low.Front-month futures were little changed in New York after prices climbed 1.6 percent over the previous two days. Government data Wednesday showed US inventories fell 6.5 million barrels last week – more than double the average estimate in a Bloomberg survey – to the lowest level since 2015.

Thailand, land of golden temples, white-sand beaches, smiling hosts. Or of overcrowded airports, epic traffic jams and littered seashores.Facing a deluge of Chinese tourists that has strained its airports beyond capacity, the Southeast Asian nation is spending billions to upgrade its infrastructure, open up new islands and cities to travelers, and tone down its image of cheap shopping, hotels and sex that underpinned the industry for half a century.

Singapore, on Tuesday, issued a warning about cryptocurrencies after a recent surge in prices sent investors flocking to bitcoin."The Monetary Authority of Singapore advises the public to act with extreme caution and understand the significant risks they take on if they choose to invest in cryptocurrencies," the city-state's central bank said in a statement.

The 30% Club Malaysia, a movement of Chairs and CEOs who advocate gender parity at all levels of their organisations is intensifying its efforts to help Malaysia achieve 30 percent women representation on public-listed corporate boards by 2020.

ThaiBev took a majority stake worth $4.8 billion in Vietnam's largest brewer, Sabeco, at a highly-anticipated auction on Monday for shares of the state-owned beer behemoth.Through its domestic unit Vietnam Beverage, Thai Beverage was the only company to bid for 343.662 million shares, or a 53.59 percent stake, in the company, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said earlier.An unnamed domestic individual also bid on 20,000 shares, it added.

Global A&T Electronics, a Singapore-based chip assembler that took on hefty debt a decade ago through a buyout by TPG Capital and Affinity Equity Partners, filed for bankruptcy as a 2013 debt exchange came back to haunt it.The chip-assembler listed debt of more than $1 billion and assets of over $500 million in Chapter 11 papers filed Sunday in U.S.

In a country long renowned for its cocoa beans, it’s a little ironic that until recently, Indonesia’s inhabitants haven’t had much of a taste for chocolate.The average Indonesian eats just 300 grams of chocolate annually, a sliver of the nine pounds or so put away by the average American, according to Euromonitor. But as incomes rise, tastes are slowly changing and global industry giants are positioning themselves to take full advantage of the sugar rush to come.