Podcast
Asia Centric by Bloomberg Intelligence
Hosted by Bloomberg · EN
Some of the world's largest and fastest-growing markets, economies and companies are in Asia. Every Thursday, John Lee from Bloomberg Intelligence speaks with experts and newsmakers about the big ideas and trends moving money across the region.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How Leverage ETFs Are Shaking Up Asian Markets
1w ago00:37:15Tap to summarizeThe rise of single-stock ETFs, especially CSOP's 2x leveraged SK Hynix ETF listed in Hong Kong, is reshaping market dynamics. The daily rebalancing of these massive funds is contributing to higher volatility in equity markets, creating new challenges for investors. At the same time, high concentration risk and narrow market leadership are fundamentally changing how investors think about hedging. In this special episode, featuring an excerpt recorded at the Singapore Volatility Forum on June 3, Oliver Chan, portfolio manager at Capula Investment Management; Stephane Martin, APAC head of derivatives institutional sales at Optiver; and Ivan Nurminsky, portfolio manager at Dymon, join Bloomberg News' Lianting Tu to discuss the hidden risks and opportunities in today's derivatives markets, including the surging popularity of the dispersion trade. To listen to the full recording of the Forum beyond this excerpt, including the opening speech by Bloomberg Intelligence chief global derivatives strategist Tanvir Sandhu on multi-asset volatility strategy and more, please click on the link to our sister podcast, FICC Focus. We hope you enjoy this episode.Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-options-considered-volatility-forum-singapore-2026/id1589459799?i=1000773012810Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4bRLGabkpuzCdg1xxCCUGP Bloomberg Terminal: {NSN TGQJMKKJH6V8 <GO>}See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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China’s Rise as the World’s First Electrostate
2w ago00:21:10Tap to summarizeChina is rewriting the global energy playbook, rapidly transforming into a clean energy powerhouse and emerging as the world's first "electrostate". While the Iran war has rattled global commodity markets, Beijing has successfully absorbed the shock due to a decade-long pivot toward domestic renewable energy. Now, it's positioning itself to reap economic rewards by exporting its green infrastructure to the rest of the world. Jian Chang, Chief China Economist, and Dave Dai, APAC Head of Sustainable Investing Research, both from Barclays, join John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast. Together they unpack the economics behind China's green infrastructure exports and, with the US doubling down on fossil fuels, debate who will ultimately win the global energy race.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Is China's Property Market Finally Recovering?
3w ago00:31:09Tap to summarizeChina's property market is showing signs of life after a five-year slump, prompting some analysts to call for a long-awaited rebound. Price declines for newly built homes are narrowing, while transaction volumes are finally ticking up, particularly in top-tier cities. But is this a significant turnaround or just a dead cat bounce? Leonid Mironov, a fund manager at Gavekal Capital, joins host John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast. He breaks down why he believes the real estate sector is bottoming out rather than roaring back and explains why markets might be too bearish on China's consumption narrative. Mironov also discusses Beijing's "anti-involution" measures to curb cutthroat competition and details where investors can still find high-quality opportunities aligned with the government's 15th Five-Year Plan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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AI to Make Australia the Lucky Country Once Again
4w ago00:24:29Tap to summarizeAustralia is emerging as a surprising beneficiary of new technological shifts, even as the country faces a growth hit from the Middle East war. Rapidly accelerating data construction is driving an unprecedented demand for copper, while battery solutions are fueling a massive consumption of lithium. Escalating geopolitical tension is also providing a powerful tailwind for rare earths as Western nations hunt for secure ex-China supply – all of which is highly positive for the country's mining sector. Meanwhile, sticky inflation has forced the Reserve Bank of Australia to become one of the most hawkish central banks in the world, raising interest rates three times already this year. While high rates are dampening demand and cooling house prices, they are also proving to be a boon for earnings of the country's banks and insurers. Bloomberg Intelligence senior analyst Matt Ingram joins John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast to discuss how these structural forces are reshaping corporate earnings, pushing the economy to move up the value chain, and redefining Australia's "lucky country" moniker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Korea's AI Boom and the Rise of Leveraged Trading
May 2700:20:03Tap to summarizeSouth Korea remains the world's hottest stock market, surging more than 250% over the past 18 months led by semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which together account for over half of the entire Kospi index. Fueled by the global AI infrastructure buildout, retail investors have poured close to $40 billion into the local market, sparking concerns about rising leverage and market volatility. A two-times leveraged SK Hynix ETF launched by CSOP in Hong Kong in October has already attracted inflows of more than $5 billion, making it the largest single-stock ETF in the world. Korean issuers are following suit with new domestic leveraged ETFs tied to these semiconductor giants. Peter Kim, managing director and investment strategist at KB Securities in Seoul, joins John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast. Kim discusses the sustainability of the current bull market and the risks associated with momentum-driven retail investors. He also unpacks the corporate governance reforms aiming to attract longer-term capital and explains why global institutional investors are selling into the rally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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BlackRock on Crypto, Tokenization and Future ETFs
May 2000:25:43Tap to summarizeExchange-traded funds are fundamentally reshaping how capital is allocated, skyrocketing to a $22 trillion global industry that Bloomberg Intelligence estimates will surpass $50 trillion by 2035. Investors no longer view them simply as vehicles for broad passive exposure. Instead, ETFs have evolved into portfolio "Lego blocks" used to manage cash yields, seek downside protection and access previously difficult asset classes such as Bitcoin. This intersection of ETFs and digital assets is also driving broader financial innovation, spurring a lively debate around the future tokenization of equities. Samara Cohen, Global Head of Market Development at BlackRock, and Nicholas Peach, Head of APAC iShares, join host John Lee and special co-host Rebecca Sin on the Asia Centric podcast. Dialing in from the iShares ETF certification conference in Singapore, they discuss the evolution of the ETF wrapper, the growing buzz around prediction markets and why Asia’s ETF landscape – despite currently lagging behind the US and Europe – is poised for phenomenal growth over the next decade. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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A Veteran's Warning on Asia's Private Credit Risks
May 1300:28:51Tap to summarizeThe post-pandemic era transformed private credit into one of the hottest areas in finance as investors chased double-digit returns, creating a multi-trillion-dollar industry. Now, the narrative is quickly shifting as default rates climb, high-profile bankruptcies expose hidden leverage, and some major funds suddenly freeze withdrawals. So just how worried should we be, and what about Asian private credit specifically? Steve Smith, co-founder of Maybole Capital Partners and a finance veteran who has weathered eight credit cycles over his 40-year career, joins John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast. He outlines why he believes Asia is already in the "bust" phase of the credit cycle and explains why the region's bespoke, multi-jurisdictional private credit market is inherently riskier than the highly standardized US market. Smith also discusses his family office's strategic investments, highlighting catastrophe bonds as an alternative fixed-income asset offering highly consistent, uncorrelated returns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Beijing Auto Show Heralds a Brutal EV War
May 600:19:40Tap to summarizeThe war in Iran and high oil prices are driving a surge in demand for China's electric vehicles abroad, with sales in March jumping more than 50% in countries such as Australia, Brazil and Germany. However, the domestic market paints a bleaker picture. Total domestic auto sales slumped 17% in the first quarter amid a brutal price war, subsidy pullbacks and a new 5% EV tax. Adding to the pressure, global giants like Volkswagen are fighting back with new, highly competitive models, leveraging a localized cost base to regain their footing in the world's largest auto market. Bloomberg Intelligence's Michael Dean, head of global autos research, and Joanna Chen, Asia autos analyst, join John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast fresh from their trip to the Beijing Auto Show. They unpack the sheer scale of the event, which featured 1,400 cars on display, highlighting the intense competition driven by advanced tech and aggressive pricing. The analysts also discuss how foreign automakers are learning toward exporting vehicles using "China speed" and explore the outlook for Europe's ultra-luxury brands such as Ferrari.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Asia's Tech Giants Are Now Challenging the Mag 7
Apr 2900:14:35Tap to summarizeEarnings season is officially underway and Asia's technology giants are setting the early pace. TSMC, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have all delivered strong numbers, prompting analysts to significantly raise earnings expectations for South Korea and Taiwan – two of the world's best-performing stock markets. These three tech behemoths are now challenging the "Magnificent Seven" as some of the most profitable companies in the world. Yet despite this massive growth, Korean chipmakers are trading at just a fraction of Mag 7 valuations, suggesting investors aren’t fully convinced we’re in a multi-year memory supercycle. Meanwhile, why is China lagging behind in the broader AI-fueled rally? And are investors becoming too complacent by fading the geopolitical risks of the Iran war? Marvin Chen, Asia equity strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence, joins John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast to make sense of the latest earnings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Singapore Bets Big on AI, Equity Market Reforms
Apr 2200:19:15Tap to summarizeSingapore's stability and business-friendly environment have long made it the regional hub of choice for tech giants such as Amazon, Google and ByteDance. However, the city-state's traditional role as a bridge between East and West is under pressure. Rising protectionism, technological decoupling and a global retreat from free trade now threaten the open flows of capital that built its wealth. To defend its crown, Singapore is going on the offensive. The government is pouring a fresh S$1 billion into public AI research, expanding critical infrastructure like Changi Airport, and pursuing capital market reform, including a tie-up with the Nasdaq. Will Singapore continue to thrive as a global hub? And will measures aimed at improving liquidity be enough to revive its IPO market? Sarah Jane Mahmud, senior financials analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, joins host John Lee to discuss Singapore's global ambitions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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