Economist, Centennial Asia Advisors

Nigel Chiang

Centennial Asia Advisors deliver timely and accurate economic and political analysis to investors, focused on anticipating key turning points that affect the client’s interests in the Asia-Pacific region. Clients include public agencies and central banks, as well as fund managers and investment banks. The company draws strength from its flexibility to tailor products to fit client’s specific interests. It provides detailed macro-economic forecasts, scenario analysis and timely assessments of how specific major economic and political developments may affect a client’s areas of interest. At Centennial Asia Advisors, we tell it like it is. We have no vested interests, no need for a China wall, and no reason to skew our outlook any other way.

Economist

The Week That Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma - Post Pandemic Singapore, Digital Telkom, and the PSE

Singapore: Revisiting Our Growth Forecasts and Assumptions

A Prudent, Safe Budget, But Is It What Singapore Needs?

Singapore: Sizable Labour Market Slack Despite Growth Rebound in 2021

Centennial Asia Advisors

At Centennial Asia Advisors, we tell it like it is. We have no vested interests, no need for a China wall, and no reason to skew our outlook any other way. With over 30 years experience covering Asia’s political economy, you can be sure our conclusions and analyses are based on the unadulterated facts. Through years of fine-tuning our research methodologies, we deliver a quality of macroeconomic analysis few other houses can match.

Centennial Asia Advisors is an independent research and advisory firm that works with governments, multilateral institutions, financial firms and leading MNCs.

Economic Policy and Strategic Advisors

Macroeconomics

<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Singapore government has lived up to its reputation for forward-thinking by issuing a report on its economic development strategy for the post-COVID future.</li>
<li>There are some strong points in the Emerging Stronger Taskforce report. There is a welcome bias towards action that can yield near-term gains. Its mobilisation of economy-wide resources towards promising opportunities of the future raises the likelihood of discovering commercially viable products and solutions. Some promising areas of likely development have been identified. Singapore will be making a big push to be a leading carbon trading and services hub. The AgriTech sector will also be a focus of government support.</li>
<li>That said, the report suffers from an inadequate examination of the Singapore economy’s structural weaknesses. Some of the big issues confronting Singapore are not addressed: What is the optimal rate of inward migration in Singapore? Why have innovation outcomes been so disappointing despite the massive inputs mobilised for innovation? Why are indigenous companies performing so poorly? What can be done about high business costs? Is the business ecosystem conducive for our micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to thrive?</li>
<li>This raises the question: Without these critical challenges being addressed, can its earnest and well-meaning recommendations really produce the best outcomes for Singapore?</li>
</ul>


The Singapore government has lived up to its reputation for forward-thinking by issuing a report on its economic development strategy for the post-COVID future.
There are some strong points in the Emerging Stronger Taskforce report. There is a welcome bias towards action that can yield near-term gains. Its mobilisation of economy-wide resources towards promising opportunities of the future raises the likelihood of discovering commercially viable products and solutions. Some promising areas of likely development have been identified. Singapore will be making a big push to be a leading carbon trading and services hub. The AgriTech sector will also be a focus of government support.
That said, the report suffers from an inadequate examination of the Singapore economy’s structural weaknesses. Some of the big issues confronting Singapore are not addressed: What is the optimal rate of inward migration in Singapore? Why have innovation outcomes been so disappointing despite the massive inputs mobilised for innovation? Why are indigenous companies performing so poorly? What can be done about high business costs? Is the business ecosystem conducive for our micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to thrive?
This raises the question: Without these critical challenges being addressed, can its earnest and well-meaning recommendations really produce the best outcomes for Singapore?


Singapore's Post-Pandemic Economic Strategy Does Not Go Far Enough