By Wayne Arnold

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

Conventional gauges of value make China’s stocks tempting, particularly amid signs growth may be picking back up. But even if the economic rebound lasts, stocks haven’t been great proxies for corporate growth. Even China bulls should be ursine on the country’s equities.

By Wayne Arnold 

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

Barack Obama’s planned trip to Myanmar this month risks rewarding the country’s rulers for a job half-done. The visit would justifiably herald recent reforms and cultivate a key ally as U.S. foreign policy pivots to Asia. But it is sure to antagonize China’s new leaders and could reduce pressure on Myanmar to make the tougher changes it still needs.

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

By Wayne Arnold

Investors can’t stay mad at Vietnam. Even after a downgrade last month by rating agency Moody’s, they’re willing to lend Hanoi dollars for less. Rising exports have helped restore reserves and avert a potential balance of payments crisis, while top officials have apologised for economic mismanagement. In a world awash with cash, however, investors are all too eager to forgive and forget.

By Wayne Arnold

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

Asia’s export engine could remain stuck in neutral as long as Europe and China are slowing. An uptick in September exports has buoyed hopes for a U.S.-led rebound in regional trade. But in the past decade, Asian economies have shifted focus to Europe and responded to China’s rise by supplying the manufacturing juggernaut. A U.S. upturn alone won’t be enough.

By Wayne Arnold

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

Squabbles over remote islands have sparked a Chinese backlash against Japanese brands. But China’s slowing economy is having an even bigger impact on Japan’s exports. And while China has toppled the U.S. as Japan’s biggest market, both nations face a common economic enemy in the form of plunging demand from Europe.

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

By Wayne Arnold

It sometimes seems like every little thing is conspiring against Indonesia’s economy: poor infrastructure, political corruption, regulatory caprice and bureaucratic inertia. Falling commodity prices threaten to reverse the spread of wealth to poorer parts of the archipelago. But Indonesia’s very immaturity gives it resilience to muddle through.

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

By Wayne Arnold

Corporate China appears to be beating the country’s lenders at their own game. Even as banks heap credit into China’s economy to keep its credit-fuelled growth from crashing, companies are handing out credit to their own customers. That may help keep the economy revving, but the risk is that past-due bills make it harder for companies to service mounting debt.

By Wayne Arnold

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

It may take just 40 minutes to replace the gizmo responsible for Toyota’s latest embarrassment, but with 7.4 million cars to fix, that’s 565 years of mechanic time. Actually it is neither the first nor the most serious of Toyota’s recent difficulties. But the Japanese automaker’s problems are beginning to look unending.

By Wayne Arnold

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

How do India’s investors spell relief? Palaniappan Chidambaram. Stocks have soared since word broke in June that the urbane lawyer might take a third turn as finance chief. His return in August has proved an antidote to the errors of his predecessor Pranab Mukherjee, and has revived foreign buying. But the rally will only last if the latest reforms boost flagging growth.