By Hugh Young, Managing Director, Equities, Aberdeen
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness." Famous words written about an earlier period of upheaval. But they could just as well be describing the contradictions in Asian markets this year.
Investors may be confused, and with good reason. On the one hand, reform-minded leaders are at the helm of many of the region’s biggest economies; government finances are in better shape than they have been for some time; while cheap oil has boosted consumer sentiment and delivered an unexpected windfall for many countries.