If you still believe the old saying that when the United States sneezes, Asia catches a cold, it can only be assumed that you have not been listening to what Andrew Freris has been saying for the past year. Freris, chief economist for the ex-Japan Asia region at BNP Paribas, has been consistent in voicing his belief that the performance of Asian economies is most dependent on what is happening within Asia, not by events in the US or elsewhere.
The highly animated Freris was keen to repeat this view again yesterday Monday at a press briefing in Hong Kong. The markets are still obsessed with the US economy as if this is what drives...
