Guests discuss parallels between economic challenges faced by Japan and China, exploring lessons from Japan's 'lost decades' for handling deflation and aging populations. Topics include Japan's yield curve control, Yakult's business strategy, demographic challenges, and investment landscapes in both countries.

When it comes to currencies, it often feels like it's all about the US dollar. Although the greenback has dominated international trade and finance for decades, some subtle shifts have started playing out among the currencies of major economies. Rising geopolitical tensions and the changing structure of global trade are prompting some countries to rethink and scale back their reliance on the dollar, a process now referred to as ‘de-dollarisation’. At the same time, China has been pushing to increase the use of the renminbi in international markets with the hope that someday it could challenge the dollar as a major reserve currency. This comes despite China's capital account remaining mostly closed and the renminbi not being freely convertible, and also despite the dollar's current dominance as the world's go to safe haven asset. In July’s episode, Catherine Yeung, Investment Director, and Marty Dropkin, Head of Equities, Asia Pacific, ask Portfolio Manager, Morgan Lau, and Asia Economist, Peiqian Liu, how far can de-dollarisation go? Could it disrupt how companies or countries pay for imports and exports? Or even how the US funds itself as the world's biggest debtor nation? With additional contributions from Amit Goel, Portfolio Manager, Monica Li, Director of Research, and Shing Zhu, Investment Analyst. Read more at fidelityinternational.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The podcast discusses China's economic rebound and the role of the Chinese consumer in powering the recovery. It explores the shift in consumer behavior post-COVID, the demand for gold jewelry in China, and opportunities in the China consumer market. The podcast also touches on the entrepreneurial spirit, opportunities in private markets, and similarities with Japan. It highlights the strong consumer theme in China and reflects on China's recovery and investment opportunities.

2021 was a big year for the global fight against climate change. China's president, Xi Jinping, again pledged that China would hit peak emissions by 2030 and be net zero by 2060. Then at COP26 in Glasgow, over 100 countries pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate deforestation. But that appeared to come to a screeching halt when the world was hit by the triple blow of Omicron spreading globally, the war in Ukraine breaking out, and the Fed starting to hike interest rates. For some people, it looked like fighting climate change took a back seat as priorities shifted towards energy security and economic stability. Coming back to 2023: China is still the biggest greenhouse gas emitter. But has the country slipped on its path to decarbonisation? Or is progress indeed moving ahead? In this episode, Catherine Yeung, Investment Director, and Marty Dropkin, Head of Equities, Asia Pacific, are joined by Flora Wang, Portfolio Manager & Head of Stewardship, Asia, and Dhananjay Phadnis, Portfolio Manager. With additional contributions from Senan Yuen, Head of Investments, China, Bunny Huang, Investment Analyst, and James Richards, Senior Industry Analyst. Read more at fidelityinternational.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tech hardware expert Terence Tsai joins Catherine Yeung and Marty Dropkin to discuss China's role in the global chip war, semiconductor shortage impacts, AI chatbots in China, and China's advancements in the tech hardware industry.

After three years, China has dropped its zero-Covid policy, and 2023 has brought a sharp rebound in activity. Road traffic, hotel bookings and many other indicators are approaching or even exceeding their 2019 levels. It's clearly good news for the economy but what does China’s reopening mean for regional and global supply chains? In the short term, Covid infections have been disrupting manufacturing as well as logistics networks but there are also some longer-term forces at play. The world looks different today than it did even just a few years ago, before the pandemic. The US-China trade war has prompted companies everywhere to hedge geopolitical risks by diversifying their manufacturing into other markets and shortening their supply chains. The slow burn demographic challenge is also pushing up manufacturing costs. In this episode, Catherine Yeung, Investment Director, and Marty Dropkin, Head of Equities, Asia Pacific, are joined by Evelyn Huang, Multi Asset Portfolio Manager, and Lynda Zhou, Equity Portfolio Manager, to discuss China's rapid reopening and what it means for the country's growth outlook, for its manufacturing competitiveness, and for investors looking to position themselves for the next phase. With additional contributions from James Trafford, Analyst and Portfolio Manager. Read more at fidelityinternational.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tune in for a new series that gets under the bonnet of business and sustainability. From finance to energy to agriculture, how do business leaders balance the needs of all stakeholders and what are the trade offs they have to make in the process? Ned Salter, Global Head of Investment Research at Fidelity International, interviews chief executives in critical sectors about the difficult decisions they face when it comes to ESG. Episode One with Bank of America's Brian Moynihan coming soon to Fidelity Answers.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's economy and its markets have faced a number of headwinds in 2022. Slowing growth, geopolitical uncertainty, the impact of the country's Covid policy, and how the PBOC, or the Chinese central bank, is manoeuvring how they ease monetary and fiscal policy as most other global banks move in a more hawkish direction. But despite all that, the opening up of China's onshore financial markets has been kicking into high gear throughout this same period. In fact, we've seen a drumbeat of announcements about the world's biggest investment companies, Fidelity International included, moving deeper into China's onshore market, either by setting up wholly-owned local subsidiaries or, for instance, many global banks who have been taking control of their existing joint ventures. In this episode, Catherine Yeung, Investment Director, and Marty Dropkin, Head of Equities, Asia Pacific, are joined by Jing Ning, a senior advisor for China equities, and Alvin Cheng, Fixed Income Portfolio Manager, to discuss how China’s local markets and its onshore investment industry are opening, expanding, and ever evolving. With additional contributions from Helen Huang, Managing Director, China, Senan Yuen, Head of Investment, China, and Lily Cong, Chief Representative, Beijing Representative Office. Read more at fidelityinternational.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chinese equities markets have been volatile in the wake of last month’s Communist Party Congress in Beijing, where the country's leadership line up for the next five years was revealed. Investors have been looking for signs or signals in terms of what's going to happen as we enter a new phase of the Chinese growth story under President Xi Jinping's leadership. Against an evolving backdrop of signature policies like common prosperity and dual circulation, China is seeing weak external demand creating challenges for manufacturers. Moreover, monetary policy is diverging between China and the rest of the world, not to mention Covid-related restrictions where domestic consumers are changing their spending patterns as the rest of Asia eyes China's reopening. In this episode, Catherine Yeung, Investment Director, and Marty Dropkin, Head of Equities, Asia Pacific, are joined by Morgan Lau, Fixed Income Portfolio Manager, and Monica Li, Director of Research, Equities. With additional contributions from Victoria Mio, Head of Equity Research, Asia Pacific, and Ben Li, Analyst & Portfolio Manager. Read more at fidelityinternational.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So much of the investment conversation is dominated by companies that have already gone public. But it's not always just about listed companies. Investors in private assets, particularly in equities, for many years have considered Asia and especially China as one of the most exciting markets anywhere. And while there have been challenges and setbacks along the way, the private asset space in Asia and China continues to develop at a really impressive pace. In this episode, Catherine Yeung, Investment Director, and Marty Dropkin, Head of Equities, Asia Pacific, are joined by Jarlon Tsang, Managing Partner & Head of China at Eight Roads, and Jackie Chien, Director of Capital Markets. With additional contributions from portfolio managers Vivian Liu and Dale Nicholls. Read more at fidelityinternational.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.