Chief Economist & Political Strategist, CrossASEAN Research

Prasenjit K. Basu

PK Basu has 34 years experience covering Asia's economies and markets (equities, fixed income and currencies), including 20 years covering the global economy. He was Chief Economist (SE Asia & India) at Credit Suisse First Boston for 5 years, and Chief Asia (x-Jpn) Economist at Daiwa Securities for a similar period. Among other roles, he was global head of research at Maybank Kim Eng, Malaysia equity research head and chief ASEAN economist at Macquarie, ASEAN economist at UBS and the first chief economist at Khazanah Nasional (where he was co-head of research, and led all agri-business initiatives). PK Basu started his career in the Asia Service of WEFA (Wharton Econometrics) in Philadelphia in 1990, rising to be Director of their Asia Service in June 1994. 
PK's book, "Asia Reborn: A continent rises from the ravages of Colonialism and War to a New Dynamism" won the Tata Literature First Book Award (non-fiction) for 2018. It is the first single chronicle of the modern economic and political history of the whole of Asia (from Iraq and Turkey to Korea and Japan, and everything in between), told from an Asian perspective.

Chief Economist & Political Strategist

Euro Rates Watch - France snap election: Radical parties come to the fore

Brexit & History's Recoil: Sinn Fein Empowered in Both Parts of Ireland

Tory Landslide Prepares the Ground for an Economic Rebound for GB and Ireland

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Macroeconomics

<ul>
<li>Despite the success of his economic reforms (which enabled France to beat Germany on growth, and building a financial centre), immigration has tripped President Macron up since Dec'23. </li>
<li>Le Pen's nationalist, anti-immigrant and anti-"Islamists" RN party won the first round of the parliamentary election and is likely to be emerge with a slim plurality after the second round. </li>
<li>Macron will either have to pick a RN- or extreme-left-backed prime minister -- or choose to run a minority government incapable of passing legislation. A looser EU, weaker France likely. </li>
</ul>


Despite the success of his economic reforms (which enabled France to beat Germany on growth, and building a financial centre), immigration has tripped President Macron up since Dec'23. 
Le Pen's nationalist, anti-immigrant and anti-"Islamists" RN party won the first round of the parliamentary election and is likely to be emerge with a slim plurality after the second round. 
Macron will either have to pick a RN- or extreme-left-backed prime minister -- or choose to run a minority government incapable of passing legislation. A looser EU, weaker France likely. 


EU: Rise of the Ultra-Nationalist Right (Eg, in France) And Its Consequences