Asia

Four years after piling on debt to acquire Jaguar-Land Rover, Tata Motors is defying naysayers by reporting soaring revenues and profits, as well as sharply higher margins. Tata Motors Co (TTMT.IN), one division of the massive Indian Tata Group enterprise, made its name, in part, by manufacturing what it bills as the world’s cheapest car [...]

Australia’s currency seems to be decoupling from the resources industry, despite the fact that it was the latter’s boom that propelled it to its recent highs. Australia’s $1.4 trillion economy was one of the world’s biggest beneficiaries of the commodities supercycle that now appears to be sputtering to a halt amidst the global economic slowdown. [...]

China’s economic growth is slowing, and debt-laden China Railway Group is among those feeling the pain, as its earnings quality deteriorates along with its margins. The slowdown in China’s economic growth, which may be more significant than it appears in the country’s formal GDP data, as we discussed earlier this week, is taking a toll [...]

Chinese authorities insist that the country is on track to generate 2012 GDP growth of 7.6%. But here are four reasons why those official figures may mask a more uncomfortable picture of the country’s real economic growth rate. Skepticism about the reliability of official economic data reported by the Chinese government has been a given, [...]

What is good news for Apple (AAPL.O) isn’t always great for its suppliers, as the deteriorating earnings quality at Murata Manufacturing (6981.OS) demonstrates quite clearly. Apple (AAPL.O) may be booming as a result of its sales of the iconic iPhone, but that good news isn’t necessarily great for its suppliers. Apple is notorious for putting [...]

The world’s major advanced economies are slowing. World trade has eased and uncertainty about the situation in Europe continues to weigh on investor confidence. Financial markets, especially in Europe, are increasingly reliant on central bank stimulus to avoid complete meltdown. Recent data showed that Spanish banks’ net borrowing from the ECB rose to EUR 375.5bn [...]

Japan’s economy expanded just 0.3 percent in April-June, half the pace expected, raising doubts about the strength of the recovery as a rebound in consumer spending loses momentum and Europe’s debt crisis weighs on worldwide demand. Looking at the Markit survey of purchasing managers, suggest weak growth will continue into Q3. Refresh chart  Edit chart Slow [...]

Adding quant models to an investment analysis can generate better results for investors looking for opportunities in Asian markets today. “The world is changing how it invests – Asia is becoming the bellwether of risk-seeking and risk avoidance. Because of the rise of hedge funds, more people are moving in or out of the Asian [...]

China’s July exports grew just 1% from a year earlier, missing forecasts (+8.6%) by a big margin. Reuters story Refresh data  Edit data New banks loans from Chinese banks also fell short of expectations, extending 540.1 billion yuan of new local-currency loans in July. Refresh chart   Edit chart          

Mining industry behemoth BHP Billiton (BLT.LN) has been hit by a double whammy: the nosedive in major metals and commodity prices, and its recent lavish capital spending – leaving the company likely to report a negative earnings surprise. Metals and mining companies like BHP Billiton PLC (BLT.LN) rode the wave of the commodities bull market [...]