'Shy active ETFs' could damage industry reputation, expert warns
Call for more transparency on ETFs that are labelled active but behave like passive strategies
Featured Works
This page features some of my favourite articles I've written.
Scroll down to see some selected works for Ignites Asia, the SCMP, CNN and NBC News.
Ignites Asia Reporter, Financial Times | Hong Kong
Private markets partnerships gain favour as M&A loses shine
Acquisitions continue to be active space, but partnerships provide more economically sound route
Retail private markets hype raises concerns about investor suitability
Asset managers have been touting the benefits of wealth and retail-oriented private markets-focused products, but actual investor demand for such investments remains unclear.
JPMorgan piles active ETFs into Singapore. Will assets follow?
JPMorgan Asset Management on Monday rolled out eight new active exchange traded funds in Singapore, adding to the three products already available to investors in the city-state, in a move that suggests firms expect such strategies to grow in popularity.
Greater China investors fuel Asia Pacific ETF sales boom
Growth in Asia's exchange-traded funds market is outpacing other global markets, driven by investors in Greater China, analysts say.
What's keeping female fund execs locked out of the C-suite?
In Asia Pacific's flourishing funds industry, women across financial hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong are increasingly stepping into senior positions – but not quite breaking into the C-suite.
China exit ban has firms rethinking business travel
China's latest exit ban on a Wells Fargo banker has intensified finance industry concerns over staff safety and freedom of movement, prompting asset managers to reassess corporate travel to the country.
JPMorgan picked as one of three managers for Singapore's market revamp
JPMorgan Asset Management is one of three asset managers picked by Singapore to manage a S$1.1bn (US$856mn) mandate under a scheme aimed at reviving its lagging local stock market.
Asia Reporter, South China Morning Post | Hong Kong
Selected articles from my reporting for the SCMP's Asia desk. You can find a link to all of my articles here
From Bandung to Brics: Indonesia’s evolving quest for Global South autonomy
Seven decades after hosting a summit that birthed the Non-Aligned Movement, Indonesia prioritises pragmatic ties over grand gestures.
Emas or gelap? Prabowo’s golden dream and Indonesia’s ‘dark’ realities collide
With a shrinking middle class, falling commodity prices and youth unemployment on the rise, experts warn of an economic paradox in the making.
India’s manufacturers fear becoming collateral damage of US-China trade war
From yarn to steel, India’s domestic industries say they’re being priced out as Chinese firms redirect exports away from the United States.
‘We’re on our own’: Asian rice farmers brace for El Nino’s wrath as crops wither
From Thailand to the Philippines and Indonesia, El Nino is back with a vengeance and experts say it may be set to torment the paddy providing Asia with its staple food.
Indonesian leader Jokowi’s US visit falls short – could China stand to benefit?
The recently signed US-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership shows the lack of potential for bilateral economic ties to deepen.
In Southeast Asia’s EV race, domestic markets face a long and winding road
Electric vehicles still only account for a fraction of Southeast Asia’s total car sales, but with a recent triple-digit surge in demand driven by consumers in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia that could be about to change.
South China Sea: could Philippines and Vietnam bond over assertive Beijing?
While Vietnam and China are close ideologically, the long-standing and increasingly volatile maritime dispute could bring Southeast Asia’s Manila and Hanoi closer together, say analysts.
‘We shouldn’t be gutless’: Indonesia doubles down on bauxite ore export ban
The ban is part of Indonesia’s ‘downstreaming policy’ to boost revenue from raw materials by requiring miners and producers to build onshore refining facilities.
Fears mount of marine life, island loss as Indonesia U-turns on sea-sand exports
Activists and coastal dwellers warn that restarting sea-sand exports threatens fishermen’s livelihoods and could hasten the loss of Indonesia’s many small islands.
‘Much easier’: QR codes power rural India into a cashless economy
India, once a cash-only economy, is undergoing a digital revolution, thanks to the country’s home-grown scan-and-pay systems.
Digital Producer, CNN | Hong Kong
Jakarta residents win battle for clean air against Indonesian government
(CNN) A Jakarta court on Thursday ruled the Indonesian government had failed to uphold citizens' right to clean air, in a landmark judgment campaigners hope will force authorities to take action on the city's notorious smog.
The long-awaited decision ends a two-year legal challenge brought by 32 Jakarta citizens against Indonesian President Joko Widodo, three cabinet ministers, the Jakarta governor, and two provincial leaders. The court ruled that the defendants were guilty of "committing "unla
The long-awaited decision ends a two-year legal challenge brought by 32 Jakarta citizens against Indonesian President Joko Widodo, three cabinet ministers, the Jakarta governor, and two provincial leaders. The court ruled that the defendants were guilty of "committing "unla
Families are at war over a wedding tradition India banned decades ago
(CNN) Vismaya Nair had been married for just over one year when she was found dead in the bathroom of her husband's family's home in India's southwestern Kerala state.
Initially, police had no reason to view the 24-year-old student's death on June 21 as suspicious, until her family made a complaint under the country's "dowry death" law.
The law allows charges to be brought against people for causing the death or suicide of a woman within the first seven years of her marriage in which the famil
Initially, police had no reason to view the 24-year-old student's death on June 21 as suspicious, until her family made a complaint under the country's "dowry death" law.
The law allows charges to be brought against people for causing the death or suicide of a woman within the first seven years of her marriage in which the famil
Almost half of this capital city's population may have contracted Covid-19, survey finds
The survey, published July 10, tested for coronavirus antibodies in the blood of about 5,000 people across the city from March 15-31. The results showed 44.5% of those tested had antibodies, indicating they had been infected with Covid-19.
Jakarta has a population of about 10.6 million, government figures show. According to the researchers, as many as 4.7 million people may have been infected in the capital by March 31.
"Through this survey, we can estimate the proportion of Jakarta residents
Jakarta has a population of about 10.6 million, government figures show. According to the researchers, as many as 4.7 million people may have been infected in the capital by March 31.
"Through this survey, we can estimate the proportion of Jakarta residents
These countries used Chinese vaccines and still have Covid-19 cases
Hong Kong and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (CNN) In Mongolia, hospitals are overwhelmed. In the tiny archipelago of Seychelles, more than 100 new Covid-19 cases are being reported each day. And in Chile, a nationwide lockdown was lifted this week -- but the country is still reporting thousands of daily cases .
What links these countries is that they have each fully inoculated more than 50% of their populations, largely with Chinese-made coronavirus vaccines. And that's raised questions over the vaccin
What links these countries is that they have each fully inoculated more than 50% of their populations, largely with Chinese-made coronavirus vaccines. And that's raised questions over the vaccin
Asia Desk Reporter, NBC News | Hong Kong
Oxygen trains in India are racing to save patients amid growing crisis
Oxygen supplies are being rushed by train to New Delhi amid shortages across hospitals in the nation's capital, as India's Covid-19 crisis deepens.
The country confirmed a record 3,780 deaths Wednesday, a day after it became only the second country after the United States to pass 20 million total infections.
Piyush Goyal, the minister for railways, called the trains "Oxygen Express" in a tweet and said they would “provide a continued supply of oxygen for Covid-19 patients in the capital.”
He
The country confirmed a record 3,780 deaths Wednesday, a day after it became only the second country after the United States to pass 20 million total infections.
Piyush Goyal, the minister for railways, called the trains "Oxygen Express" in a tweet and said they would “provide a continued supply of oxygen for Covid-19 patients in the capital.”
He
Modi's party takes electoral hit as virus cases spiral
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party lost a key state in elections over the weekend amid mounting criticism of his handling of the country’s worsening Covid-19 crisis.
On Monday, India recorded more than 300,000 new cases for the 12th straight day, bringing the country’s total infections to nearly 20 million, according to Health Ministry figures. Experts fear that the real number may be 10 times higher in the nation of over 1.35 billion people.
The country also reported over 218,000 dea
On Monday, India recorded more than 300,000 new cases for the 12th straight day, bringing the country’s total infections to nearly 20 million, according to Health Ministry figures. Experts fear that the real number may be 10 times higher in the nation of over 1.35 billion people.
The country also reported over 218,000 dea
India surges past 200,000 Covid deaths amid record new cases
India passed 200,000 Covid-19 deaths Wednesday, becoming only the fourth country to do so, as it battles a devastating second wave of infections.
The surge in new infections has stretched hospitals across the country to a breaking point, with widespread shortages of medical oxygen and beds. Patients and their loved ones desperately search for hospitals with intensive care units that can make room for them, turning to social media to find access to vacant beds and oxygen online.
Increased infec
The surge in new infections has stretched hospitals across the country to a breaking point, with widespread shortages of medical oxygen and beds. Patients and their loved ones desperately search for hospitals with intensive care units that can make room for them, turning to social media to find access to vacant beds and oxygen online.
Increased infec
Chinese social media bypass censors to support Chloé Zhao's Oscars wins
Social media users in China got creative Monday to celebrate Chloé Zhao's historic Oscars victory after the Chinese government censored mention of her name.
Zhao, who was born in Beijing, won the Academy Award for best director Sunday for "Nomadland," but searches for her name and for the film were few and far between on Chinese social media platforms. "Nomadland" also won the award for best picture and similarly got the silent treatment.
On China's Twitter-like Weibo, users bypassed censors b
Zhao, who was born in Beijing, won the Academy Award for best director Sunday for "Nomadland," but searches for her name and for the film were few and far between on Chinese social media platforms. "Nomadland" also won the award for best picture and similarly got the silent treatment.
On China's Twitter-like Weibo, users bypassed censors b
India Covid rates plummet, experts struggle to find explanation
India’s Covid-19 infection rate plummeted, but experts still don’t know why. NBC News’ Janis Mackey Frayer explains the factors scientists are looking at in India’s comeback.