The US dollar is under pressure again as shifting geopolitical risks – from uncertain tariff policies to the Greenland controversy – drive a renewed case for currency diversification and weigh heavily on the greenback. This is being compounded by a widening global policy rift: the Federal Reserve remains on track for multiple rate cuts this year, while other central banks, including Australia and Japan, move in the opposite direction.

Is the 15-year dollar bull market officially over? Audrey Childe-Freeman, Chief FX Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, joins John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast to unpack the dollar’s recent trajectory. She also discusses why the Swiss franc, euro, Australian dollar, and gold have strong tailwinds in 2026.

The US dollar is under pressure again as shifting geopolitical risks &ndash; from uncertain tariff policies to the Greenland controversy &ndash; drive a renewed case for currency diversification and weigh heavily on the greenback. This is being compounded by a widening global policy rift: the Federal Reserve remains on track for multiple rate cuts this year, while other central banks, including Australia and Japan, move in the opposite direction.
Is the 15-year dollar bull market officially over? Audrey Childe-Freeman, Chief FX Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, joins John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast to unpack the dollar&rsquo;s recent trajectory. She also discusses why the Swiss franc, euro, Australian dollar, and gold have strong tailwinds in 2026.

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.

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.

Asia Centric by Bloomberg Intelligence

Geopolitical Risks Are Sinking The Dollar Again

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b4199f44-4739-43b1-90d9-b3fc00c6ae13/transcript

After hitting a nine-year low in early 2025, Hong Kong's residential property market is showing concrete signs of a turnaround. Home prices have rebounded 9% from their recent trough, fueled by the removal of all property cooling measures and a surge in transaction volumes. Even the commercial sector - still beset by high office vacancy rates - is seeing green shoots, driven by a resurgence in financial services and IPO activity.

Can Hong Kong truly decouple from the ongoing property crisis in mainland China? And with the US Federal Reserve entering an easing cycle, will lower borrowing costs be enough to sustain this recovery?

Rosanna Tang, Head of Research at Cushman & Wakefield, and Patrick Wong, senior property analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, join host John Lee to crunch the numbers. Together, they unpack the "wealth effect" driven by a rebounding stock market, the impact of a 270,000-strong influx of talent on the leasing sector, and why it's now often cheaper to buy than to rent in the world’s most expensive housing market.

After hitting a nine-year low in early 2025, Hong Kong's residential property market is showing concrete signs of a turnaround. Home prices have rebounded 9% from their recent trough, fueled by the removal of all property cooling measures and a surge in transaction volumes. Even the commercial sector - still beset by high office vacancy rates - is seeing green shoots, driven by a resurgence in financial services and IPO activity.
Can Hong Kong truly decouple from the ongoing property crisis in mainland China? And with the US Federal Reserve entering an easing cycle, will lower borrowing costs be enough to sustain this recovery?
Rosanna Tang, Head of Research at Cushman &amp; Wakefield, and Patrick Wong, senior property analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, join host John Lee to crunch the numbers. Together, they unpack the "wealth effect" driven by a rebounding stock market, the impact of a 270,000-strong influx of talent on the leasing sector, and why it's now often cheaper to buy than to rent in the world&rsquo;s most expensive housing market.

Hong Kong's Property Market Roars Back to Life

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/46071558-9df5-4ec4-95a2-b3ee0044f6d9/transcript

A surprising new bottleneck has emerged in the global AI infrastructure build-out: memory chips. Major manufacturers including SK Hynix, Micron and Samsung Electronics have effectively run out of capacity, sparking a scramble among customers to secure supply.

Contract prices for certain DRAM chips surged 78% in the fourth quarter alone, with another 50% jump forecast by March. This price shock is creating a squeeze — especially for makers of smartphones, PCs and automobiles — as memory suppliers prioritize high-margin AI chips over "legacy" components. The result is a widening supply gap that threatens to leave consumer electronics companies struggling to secure essential parts through 2027.

MS Hwang, research director at Counterpoint Research, joins John Lee and Bloomberg News technology editor Vlad Savov on the Asia Centric podcast. They unpack the dynamics of the shortage and how Chinese upstarts are racing to fill the void.

A surprising new bottleneck has emerged in the global AI infrastructure build-out: memory chips. Major manufacturers including SK Hynix, Micron and Samsung Electronics have effectively run out of capacity, sparking a scramble among customers to secure supply.
Contract prices for certain DRAM chips surged 78% in the fourth quarter alone, with another 50% jump forecast by March. This price shock is creating a squeeze &mdash; especially for makers of smartphones, PCs and automobiles &mdash; as memory suppliers prioritize high-margin AI chips over "legacy" components. The result is a widening supply gap that threatens to leave consumer electronics companies struggling to secure essential parts through 2027.
MS Hwang, research director at Counterpoint Research, joins John Lee and Bloomberg News technology editor Vlad Savov on the Asia Centric podcast. They unpack the dynamics of the shortage and how Chinese upstarts are racing to fill the void.

How AI Created an Unprecedented Memory Chip Crisis

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4bddc57f-8dde-4ddb-a6b2-b3e7008a9f9c/transcript

Global military budgets are surging at a pace unseen since the Cold War, fueling a defense-spending supercycle. NATO allies are aiming to spend up to 5% of GDP on defense by 2035, while Asian powers such as Japan and South Korea are also boosting spending. This environment has been a boon for defense stocks, with South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace rising a spectacular 2,600% since the start of the Russia-Ukraine War, even eclipsing Rheinmetall's 1,700% run.

Is the defense spending supercycle sustainable? And which companies and countries stand to benefit from this surge? Wayne Sanders, senior defense analyst and retired US army colonel, and Eric Zhu, aerospace and defense analyst – both at Bloomberg Intelligence – join John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast. They also discuss the evolving roles of air defense, hypersonics and space in future conflicts.

Global military budgets are surging at a pace unseen since the Cold War, fueling a defense-spending supercycle. NATO allies are aiming to spend up to 5% of GDP on defense by 2035, while Asian powers such as Japan and South Korea are also boosting spending. This environment has been a boon for defense stocks, with South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace rising a spectacular 2,600% since the start of the Russia-Ukraine War, even eclipsing Rheinmetall's 1,700% run.
Is the defense spending supercycle sustainable? And which companies and countries stand to benefit from this surge? Wayne Sanders, senior defense analyst and retired US army colonel, and Eric Zhu, aerospace and defense analyst &ndash; both at Bloomberg Intelligence &ndash; join John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast. They also discuss the evolving roles of air defense, hypersonics and space in future conflicts.

Is the Global Defense Supercycle Sustainable?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/28b3ad9d-66fe-42bb-94b6-b3e0008d3056/transcript

Geopolitical Risks Are Sinking The Dollar Again

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