Asia is the world's largest continent, boasting a population of 4.3 billion people, 60 per cent of the world's population, and the share market is worth...

Asia is the world's largest continent, boasting a population of 4.3 billion people, 60 per cent of the world's population, and the share market is worth approximately US$8 trillion (ex-Japan). Accordingly, there is significant opportunity for investors, particularly when considering the unique geographical elements - for example, only 14.7 per cent of China's land mass is arable, which has a sizeable implication for food supply for China's population of 1.35 billion people. While it is easy to think of Asia as a monolith, it is important to remember that the region is a collection of distinct economies, each exhibiting unique attributes. This is particularly evident if you examine the primary economic activity for each country. Agricultural activity dominates in Vietnam and Cambodia, metallurgy in Burma, manufacturing in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, the tertiary sector in Hong Kong and services in India, Malaysia and Philippines. The unique aspects of each 'economy' also means that they are developing at different paces. Read the full article: (VIEW LINK)