Outlook 2018: Asian ex Japan equities
(WorldNews Entertainment)

2017 has been a remarkable year for Asian equities, with total returns for regional markets of c.40% in US dollar terms at the time of writing. These have been the strongest returns since 2009 and among the best five calendar-year returns we have seen in the last 30 years. Even more remarkable is that a year ago we were faced with huge uncertainties on the political and economic front. President Trump had been elected unexpectedly in the US, huge uncertainty was created by Brexit and in Europe doubts were raised on the future integrity of the European Union (EU) amid a widespread rise in populist parties. A rallying US dollar, traditionally a headwind for Asian markets, and concerns over...