:00:00. > :00:00.has gone missing in Edinburgh. Police say there is no evidence to
:00:00. > :00:18.suggest any criminal act. Time for Asia Business Report. Global
:00:19. > :00:24.prospects. What does the year have in store for Asia and other major
:00:25. > :00:30.economies? India looks to tap into Myanmar but will investment
:00:31. > :00:39.opportunities pay off? Welcome to the programme. It's the
:00:40. > :00:42.third week of the new year and both the World Bank and IMF have been
:00:43. > :00:47.optimistic about a pickup in the global economy. The World Bank says
:00:48. > :00:51.it sees higher growth in America, which suggests that the Federal
:00:52. > :00:56.Reserve's aggressive monetary policies have been working. The
:00:57. > :01:04.Federal Reserve plans to scale back on it and committees. In his final
:01:05. > :01:08.public appearance as chairman of the federal, Ben Bernanke said the
:01:09. > :01:19.organisation had enough tools to manage its policy. -- as chairman of
:01:20. > :01:23.the Federal Reserve. To tighten monetary policy and manage interest
:01:24. > :01:29.rates, even if the balance sheet stays where it is. Because we can do
:01:30. > :01:36.that, that means we can run monetary policy the normal way and avoid any
:01:37. > :01:48.risks with inflation or other such problems. Earlier, I spoke with a
:01:49. > :01:56.representative from HSBC. He seems to see an eight US economy. The bad
:01:57. > :02:09.news is behind us. -- he seems to see a US economy that is up heat. He
:02:10. > :02:12.suggests that the large balance sheet that the Federal Reserve has
:02:13. > :02:20.should not be a problem in the years to come. Optimistic but the last two
:02:21. > :02:23.weeks have not been so good. What is your opinion in terms of how things
:02:24. > :02:30.will progress in the coming weeks for the Asian markets? The market
:02:31. > :02:34.often anticipate development. They had a pretty strong performance last
:02:35. > :02:41.year anticipating some of the growth in the economy. There are still some
:02:42. > :02:47.dangers, however. In the US, inflation is at a 50 year low. It's
:02:48. > :02:54.very low in Europe as well. That is not good. Markets over time. What do
:02:55. > :03:02.you expect to see in the GDP figures in Asia? Some deceleration. There
:03:03. > :03:08.are already suggestions that China is slowing down. It's not a collapse
:03:09. > :03:11.but it is a slight slowdown. This year, we might see even weaker
:03:12. > :03:18.growth because the reform process in China is perfect thing economic
:03:19. > :03:23.demand. -- is having an impact on economic demand. What are the things
:03:24. > :03:31.to look out for in the Asian economy? We need reforms urgently.
:03:32. > :03:41.Not just in China but in India, Japan and South East Asia. In
:03:42. > :03:44.Myanmar, during the years of international isolation, the one
:03:45. > :03:48.friend it could rely on both politically and economically was
:03:49. > :03:53.China, which became its biggest trading partner. Now that Myanmar is
:03:54. > :04:04.opening up its economy to other foreign investors, countries like
:04:05. > :04:10.India are sensing an opportunity. There are strong historical ties
:04:11. > :04:16.between India and Myanmar. Many Burmese Indians live in Yangon. And
:04:17. > :04:23.they were once both part of British colonial India. But in terms of
:04:24. > :04:27.trade and investment, India is a long way behind countries like China
:04:28. > :04:32.and Thailand. In the struggle for influence between China and India,
:04:33. > :04:37.the two economic superpowers of the region, it has so far been China on
:04:38. > :04:42.top. With little concern for democracy or human rights, over the
:04:43. > :04:46.last several decades they have invested billions of dollars in an
:04:47. > :04:51.oil and gas pipeline and large-scale infrastructure projects. But with
:04:52. > :04:55.the coming of reform, the relationship between China and
:04:56. > :05:02.Myanmar has become cooler and countries like India have sensed the
:05:03. > :05:08.opportunity. At the moment, India imports more from Myanmar than it
:05:09. > :05:12.exports here. In a bid to change that and get in on what could be a
:05:13. > :05:20.Burmese boom, it's holding this there in Yangon. We think that we
:05:21. > :05:27.have lots of opportunities in this market. We are a bit late but not
:05:28. > :05:35.too late. How easy is it to do business in Myanmar? Does that put
:05:36. > :05:39.off Indian companies? Indian companies are still not certain
:05:40. > :05:44.about the political situation in this country. They are waiting to
:05:45. > :05:50.see what happens after the election in 2015. There are lots of practical
:05:51. > :05:56.devices being sold at this trade fair. Solar panels and irrigation
:05:57. > :06:05.systems. But this is by far the most popular. Just look at this! Of
:06:06. > :06:12.course the Indians are not the only ones sensing opportunity here. Many
:06:13. > :06:17.western companies have also established a presence in Myanmar.
:06:18. > :06:21.What the Burmese are hoping for is that companies don't just come here
:06:22. > :06:26.to sell their products, but they invest large amounts of money as
:06:27. > :06:32.well. One week into the US burning season
:06:33. > :06:42.and many are looking at indications of corporate America investing again
:06:43. > :06:48.-- the US earning season. Some companies have taken a fresh look at
:06:49. > :06:54.investing in their businesses. Ones Heil at a time, these workers are
:06:55. > :07:06.transforming this warehouse into a new project. -- one tile at a time.
:07:07. > :07:19.This is our first venture into brick and mortar. Normally we have... It
:07:20. > :07:25.was time to put down some roots and get a seven days per week business.
:07:26. > :07:29.This is a small example of what many people hope will become a trend in
:07:30. > :07:35.corporate America, spending money on investing in their business. Now
:07:36. > :07:41.that GDP looks to be the most stable and consistent asset in the world,
:07:42. > :07:50.executives feel more confident that they can loosen the cough is a bit.
:07:51. > :07:56.-- loosen the purse strings a bit. It's not just GDP looking good.
:07:57. > :08:04.Government shutdowns are in the past. Indications are pointing to a
:08:05. > :08:08.bullish market. Capital spending goes hand-in-hand with a better
:08:09. > :08:13.economy and more hiring. Companies that spend a lot on new equipment
:08:14. > :08:26.tend to hire more. If the economy is producing more goods, it will be a
:08:27. > :08:32.healthy and strong economy. Beer and food, the winning combination that
:08:33. > :08:39.made this company invest. Now, it's a matter of other businesses doing
:08:40. > :08:43.the same. This week, we have been looking at the property sectors of
:08:44. > :08:48.Hong Kong and London, trying to determine what makes a location a
:08:49. > :08:59.global property hotspots. We caught up with the founder of a Singapore
:09:00. > :09:09.based property businessman. What qualifies as a hot property market?
:09:10. > :09:14.My definition of a hotspot is what I see as high return for a high risk
:09:15. > :09:19.investment. You mentioned money going in and seeking high returns.
:09:20. > :09:23.Is there a danger that some of these cities could be experiencing hot
:09:24. > :09:32.money inflows, and therefore a bubble? In the first place in the
:09:33. > :09:45.city, I hate to say it that it's not like in America. You do have some
:09:46. > :09:58.control. But the H cannot be 100%. Right now, in Singapore, you can
:09:59. > :10:07.only invest 60%. When you have 40% inside your investment, the bubble
:10:08. > :10:15.will not arise. For more on the global property industry, tune in
:10:16. > :10:25.this weekend on BBC World News. The stock markets got off to a
:10:26. > :10:28.lacklustre start this morning. Not so bad at the moment. The Nikkei has
:10:29. > :10:47.just turned up almost one point. This is BBC News. Headlines: The
:10:48. > :10:48.Afghan Taliban has told the BBC they believe are