Breakingviews

Southeast Asia is wrong to neglect inflation risk

By Andy Mukherjee

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own)

Inflation in the Philippines reached a five-month high in February; prices rose the most in 20 months in Indonesia. Yet, there is no word from the central banks of Southeast Asia’s fast-growing nations on when they are likely to raise interest rates. While their coyness to signal policy tightening is understandable, it is nevertheless a mistake.

Chavez’s economic program did everything but work

By Martin Hutchinson
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s economic program did everything, except work. The strongman, who died on Tuesday, won elections regularly – most recently in October last year – and his economic policies played well at home. His rule coincided with a giant surge in oil prices, helping avoid bankruptcy for his country. Yet Chavez’s stewardship alienated foreign investors as well as governments, and kept Venezuelans poor.

Markets wrong to downplay Italian political risk

By Neil Unmack

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Italian bond spreads have risen nearly one percentage point since Italy’s election. It could have been worse – and considering the risks, it should.

Three roadmaps for an urbanizing China

By John Foley

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own)

China is at an urban crossroads. Almost 53 per cent of its population lived in cities and towns at the end of 2012. In another two decades, China will probably be nearing the 80 percent urbanization level common in the West – suggesting some 1.1 billion city-dwellers. Premier designate Li Keqiang wants urbanization to put people first. The question is: where in China will he put them?

Swiss may show the way on pay

By Pierre Briançon

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Voters in Switzerland have adopted a law by referendum that will give shareholders extensive powers to limit pay for executives, force them to exercise their rights seriously and will establish across-the-board transparency on management compensation. Golden handshakes, or special bonuses like those awarded to chief executives after a merger, will be banned. Non-compliance with the new law will be a criminal offence punishable by jail terms of up to three years.

China’s gains tax won’t put a roof on house prices

By John Foley

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own)

China’s house prices are too high and local tax revenue too low. What better way to address both problems than taxing capital gains on property? China’s cabinet has promised to enforce such a levy on homeowners. While that drove down the share prices of property developers, it is unlikely to do the same for real estate values.

UK’s EU problem becomes more pressing

By Pierre Briançon

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

It has taken just a short week to expose British Prime Minister David Cameron’s stated European policy as lacking in both strategy and tactics.

U.S. budget cuts more blip than bomb

By Daniel Indiviglio
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

For all the rhetoric from both political parties, the impending U.S. budget cuts are more a blip than a bomb. An initial $100 billion-worth of federal spending reductions won’t do much real damage to the growing economy.

BOJ chief could score early win by dumping rule

By Andy Mukherjee

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own)

Expectations are running high for Japan’s next monetary czar. Haruhiko Kuroda, who has been nominated by the government as the Bank of Japan’s next governor, needs to quickly demonstrate his deflation-fighting credentials. One way would be to do away with the BOJ’s self-imposed limit on how many government bonds it can hold.

U.S. buyout barons have new tax-dodge rivals: MLPs

By Christopher Swann
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

U.S. buyout barons have new tax-dodge rivals: master limited partnerships. The low tax rates on private equity bosses’ so-called carried interests save them $1.3 billion a year, according to the U.S Treasury, an advantage critics want wiped out. But new data show investors in energy partnerships are now costing Uncle Sam a similar amount thanks to an outdated Internal Revenue Service perk from the 1980s. Both loopholes should be closed.