Chief Economist, Aletheia Capital

Dr. Jim Walker

Jim Walker is the chief economist at Aletheia Analyst Network Limited, an independent research platform for the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining Aletheia he was the founder and chief economist at Asianomics Group an economics and strategy research consultancy company formed in late 2007. 

Before establishing Asianomics he was the chief economist at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. He joined CLSA in late 1991. Over the years Dr Jim achieved numerous ‘best economist’ rankings in the Asiamoney, Institutional Investor and Greenwich surveys of fund managers. In 1995 he wrote about the prospect of Asia being forced off its de facto dollar peg “within the next two-three years”. The Asian Crisis, precipitated by the Thai baht devaluation, began in July 1997.

In recent years he is best known for forecasting the US 2007 downturn and financial sector meltdown in his series of ‘Apocalypse’ reports. He remains deeply sceptical of the prevailing wisdom in central banks’ approach to monetary policy.

Over the years he has also developed an approach to analysing Asian economies based on profit and credit cycles where the importance of investment spending as the driver of economic activity is explained.

Early in his career he worked in his native Scotland as a research fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute for Research on the Scottish Economy, and then at The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Edinburgh headquarters. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree and a doctorate in economics from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Chief Economist

China Indicators Watchlist - Money and Credit

Asian Exports - Power Ahead Lifted By China Demand

Behaving Predictably - China’s Car Sales in 2018 Were Not a Sign of Economic Weakness

China in the Early Stages of a Cyclical Upturn

Independent and original Asian investment research

Aletheia Capital

Aletheia Capital (HK) Ltd. (previously known as Asianomics) combines the extensive knowledge of its experienced team with technology and regulatory changes to disrupt Global Markets business in Asia. The firm is completely independent with no conflicts of interest either on Investment Banking advisory or Capital Markets execution.

Macroeconomics

Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index (SHSZ300 INDEX EQUITY)

In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-the-xi-era" target="_blank">China: The Xi Era</a>, we explained the ambitions and priorities that underlie China’s paramount leader. But as the PBoC and Mr Xi seems to understand, economic realities cannot be ignored. On the one hand, we are sure that he is convinced of the need to consolidate and control state-owned industries that have overstepped their mark, borrowed too much and built too much - this is his ‘deleveraging’ goal. We are also sure that he wants to contain the shadow banking system, the off-balance sheet activities of the financial sector that make control of what is going on in new areas of services and economic activity more difficult for the party. However, we know that he is bound by economic realities, balancing growth while he pursues his ‘deleveraging’ goal. How it plays out will depend on how well Mr Xi can balance the two opposing forces.This balancing act flies in the face of one of Xi's 'special remarks' from his book, "A Compilation of Xi Jinping's Remarks about Party Discipline, Clean Governance and the Anti-Corruption Campaign", containing lines such as Mencius' "You cannot have fish and bear paw at the same time" (魚與熊掌), meaning you can't have your cake and eat it too. Xi is intent on making sure China's economy has both the fish and bear paw.

In China: The Xi Era, we explained the ambitions and priorities that underlie China’s paramount leader. But as the PBoC and Mr Xi seems to understand, economic realities cannot be ignored. On the one hand, we are sure that he is convinced of the need to consolidate and control state-owned industries that have overstepped their mark, borrowed too much and built too much - this is his ‘deleveraging’ goal. We are also sure that he wants to contain the shadow banking system, the off-balance sheet activities of the financial sector that make control of what is going on in new areas of services and economic activity more difficult for the party. However, we know that he is bound by economic realities, balancing growth while he pursues his ‘deleveraging’ goal. How it plays out will depend on how well Mr Xi can balance the two opposing forces.This balancing act flies in the face of one of Xi's 'special remarks' from his book, "A Compilation of Xi Jinping's Remarks about Party Discipline, Clean Governance and the Anti-Corruption Campaign", containing lines such as Mencius' "You cannot have fish and bear paw at the same time" (魚與熊掌), meaning you can't have your cake and eat it too. Xi is intent on making sure China's economy has both the fish and bear paw.

China Deleveraging: Xi's Balancing Act