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Sofia Horta e Costa
For Sofia Horta e Costa's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 27, 2023
Mistrust of Xi endangers one of Wall Street’s favorite trades
Money managers looking for China to rebuild trust are getting mixed regulatory messages from Beijing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2022
Wall Street wants to believe Xi’s money-minting markets are back
Some of the biggest players in global markets are turning increasingly bullish on Chinese assets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 7, 2022
Wall street desire for Xi to pivot to growth faces reality check
The optimism hinges on expectations Xi will usher in a more benign investing environment after the twice-a-decade Communist Party congress in October.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 22, 2022
China’s milestone moment for markets now just a distant memory
Hope that dramatic interventions five months ago has turned into skepticism over whether policymakers will do whatever it takes to bolster financial markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2022
China is pariah for global investors as Xi’s policies backfire
Money managers once enticed by China's juicy yields and huge tech companies now say reasons to avoid the country outweigh incentives to buy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 13, 2022
Hong Kong the market to watch as global flows of easy money slow to a trickle
The city's stock market has tumbled this year at one of the fastest rates globally, home prices are falling and signs of capital flight are multiplying.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 27, 2022
China running out of ways to stem self-made market meltdown
Unlike in 2020, when Beijing was able to limit disruptions to its manufacturing hubs and rely on global liquidity to shore up investor confidence, this time it has to go at it alone.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 18, 2022
Global investors flee China fearing that risks eclipse rewards
A growing list of risks is turning China into a potential quagmire, with the central question being what could happen when the country goes to great lengths to achieve its leader's goals.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2022
Xi battling distrust among global investors burned in China before and eyeing political risk
The government in Beijing showed little regard for those same investors last year when it unleashed a series of crackdowns on the country's most profitable companies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2022
Chinese property bonds soar as investors bet worst is over
Even though it's unclear whether the beaten-down sector has reached a turning point, traders are having a hard time turning down bets that things will improve.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 17, 2021
China’s nightmare Evergrande scenario is an uncontrolled crash
The timing is particularly tricky as China juggles an economic slowdown, a sweeping crackdown on the private sector and rising tensions with Washington.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 20, 2021
Xi sends warning to investors with delayed Huarong lifeline
Huarong ultimately proved too big to fail, but its protracted bailout process demonstrates Beijing's determination to punish creditors who ignore risks in heavily indebted companies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jul 6, 2021
Didi shows all Chinese tech giants must first answer to Beijing
Over the past year, Xi Jinping's government has sought to gain control of the vast amounts of data held by large tech firms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2021
China is quietly stepping up its interventions in markets
China is resorting to increasingly forceful measures to contain risks to the financial system, in moves that could undermine Xi's pledge to give markets greater freedom.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2020
China punctuates greater market freedoms with tough crackdowns
Last month alone, Beijing canned Ant Group's share sale, issued rules to root out monopolies in the internet sector and began scrutinizing investments in new energy vehicles.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Nov 5, 2020
Derailing of Jack Ma’s Ant IPO shows Xi Jinping is in charge
For global investors, the episode is likely to reinforce the notion that the Communist Party calls all the shots when it comes to major business decisions.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2010
Airport security 'theater': dancing to terrorists' tune
HONG KONG — With air travel peaking next month in Asia and Europe for Christmas and New Year after going into overload in the United States over the Thanksgiving weekend, governments should re-examine the costs and inefficiencies of security that add tens of billions of dollars to the cost of doing business as well as cause disruptions and angst to millions of passengers who just want to reach their destinations safely.

Longform

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