Asia geared play on global demand

The rapid V-shaped recovery experienced in most of the Asian region in 1999 continued strongly into the first quarter of 2000. The primary driving force behind this rebound in economic growth has been the exceptionally strong global demand for electronic and related products, for which Asia acts as a cheap and efficient manufacturing base. Indeed, Asia can be viewed as a geared play on global demand at a time when Japan is finally showing signs of a recovery and growth is picking up in Europe. The risk in this scenario is that the Federal Reserve feels the need to raise US interest rates ...