JPMorgan BetaBuilders Developed Asia Pacific-ex Japan ETF

BBAX

Market cap $6.39B

Japanese stocks were higher in early trade thanks to continued hopes for U.S.-Iran peace talks.

Japan's consumer inflation cooled in April as government measures capped price growth despite rising energy costs.

Investors are focusing on AI developments in North Asia. China is coming out of more than three years of deflation measured by the producer price index.

Nick Ferres, CIO of Vantage Point Asset Management, joins Squawk Box Asia to discuss the impact of the prolonged energy shock on global markets. He notes that the Japan is particularly vulnerable to the oil supply shock, and talks about the BOJ's policy dilemma.

Among APAC equity markets, Australia has a higher beta to oil prices while India, Indonesia and Thailand have lower betas. Domestic political uncertainties have been one main reason for the decoupling trend seen in Indonesia and Thailand.

Whenever I'm writing about exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to buy, it's easy to go with the tried and true, such as providers like iShares and Vanguard. However, new products are always coming down the pike worth considering for your investment portfolio.

While the China macro story of ongoing transition is a headwind to the rest of Asia, there is more to the region's economic health than this.

The total nominal GDP of the ten ASEAN nations measured in US dollar terms amounted to USD 3.6 trillion in 2022, more than doubling compared with total GDP of USD 1.6 trillion in 2009. Singapore's GDP growth rate improved to a pace of 2.8% y/y in the fourth quarter of 2023 according to the advance estimate of GDP from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).