In the shadow of the Grand Lisboa, the Macau casino world-famous for its “golden lotus” design, fashion boutique owner Suzanne Leong wonders if the economic miracle that initially made her fortune has now cast her aside.The Chinese casino hub once again tops the world in gaming revenue in 2024 as visitors return after the Covid-19 pandemic, but residents like Leong point to a huge disparity in which parts of the economy are bouncing back.As Macau celebrates 25 years under Beijing rule this week, many feel more urgently than ever that the city needs to diversify its economy — something Beijing has demanded for years to underwhelming results.”To truly make Macau a place that does not run on casinos, it’s not easy to find a way. But if we don’t try now, there will only be fewer (options),” Leong, 51, told AFP.”Because I really love Macau, I feel panicked.”Born and raised in the former Portuguese colony, Leong belongs to a population that became China’s richest from two decades of wealth spilling out of casinos.But shifting consumer habits among locals and tourists have led her to believe those days are gone for good.Leong’s regulars are tightening purse strings while Chinese tourists are now more likely to eat from lunchboxes outside her shop instead of coming in to spend.Compared to the store’s heyday, earnings this year have fallen 90 percent. “Macau may look prosperous, but many restaurants and retailers are suffering,” she said. “Nobody knows what to do.”- ‘Easy wins’ -Macau’s gaming boom began in 2002 when authorities ended the monopoly of late tycoon Stanley Ho and brought in multinational casino operators known as concessionaires.The city — the only place in China where casino gambling is allowed — took less than five years to surpass Las Vegas in gross gaming revenue and consistently stayed ahead aside from a Covid-era dip.In Vegas, gaming-related taxes have accounted for around 35 percent of government revenue in recent years. But for Macau, the latest figure stood at 81 percent.”Since at least a decade ago, the central government had hoped that Macau’s economy would diversify, but it didn’t budge,” said Ieong Meng-u, a politics academic at the University of Macau.”With gaming, the money comes too easily. (Macau) basically didn’t have to do much for a robust income.”That partially changed when Chinese President Xi Jinping came into power.Xi’s anti-corruption drive brought an end to Macau’s lucrative junket industry, which enticed wealthy gamblers from China’s mainland with perks like VIP rooms and credit lines.The city’s six casino operators managed to renew their licences in 2022 only after they pledged to invest in other sectors, with $14.9 billion earmarked for projects such as theme parks and conference venues.Xi, who will visit Macau this week, will probably “want to see for himself what non-gaming, hard investment has eventuated”, said Ben Lee, managing partner of consultancy IGamiX.City officials have even designated six historic areas for revitalisation — one for each concessionaire — though Lee said the operators would prefer “easy wins”, as non-gaming ventures typically bring paltry returns.”The casinos are rational economic entities. They will only do as little as they think they can get away with.”- ‘Catch the moment’ -Now two years into their 10-year concessions, operators have developed a steady rhythm of concerts, conferences and sporting events, including a deal with the NBA to host pre-season games.Aside from boosting tourism, city officials — including Macau’s next leader Sam Hou-fai — have picked a range of sectors to become new economic drivers.But the government’s messaging is “sometimes muddled”, said Vitaly Umansky, a gaming expert at Seaport Research Partners.”(The government) would like other industries to start developing” but it would be “very, very difficult” for Macau to compete in proposed fields like financial services, technology and Chinese medicine, he said.Growing those sectors would likely require foreign talent, and there is a “consensus in the business community (that)… Macau needs to move faster and make bolder moves” on that front, said Jose Carlos Matias, director of Macau Business magazine.While much remains to be done, Matias said he would not bet against the house. “The doomsayers have been constantly proven wrong when it comes to Macau,” he said. Having endured an “extremely tough” year, boutique owner Leong said she had no plans to close her business.”We have to understand the present moment and adapt well. I think about my children and ask, what can they do to catch the moment?” she said.”I won’t leave Macau. I want to see it get better and better.”

Asian markets fluctuated Tuesday as attention turned to the Federal Reserve’s upcoming policy decision, with traders hoping for guidance on its interest rate plans as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.The decision, which is expected to see officials lower borrowing costs again, comes in a busy week for central banks, with announcements in Japan and Britain also due.Investors are keeping tabs on Beijing after leaders’ latest measures to kickstart the economy fell short of expectations, with weak retail sales data Monday reinforcing the need for more support.The Fed is widely expected to lower rates for the third meeting in a row Wednesday as it looks to guide the world’s top economy to a soft landing, though its statement will be pored over for clues about next year’s outlook.Investors have started paring their bets on how many times it will cut over the next 12 months owing to still-sticky inflation, a strong labour market and uncertainty about Trump, who has pledged to slash taxes and impose tariffs on imports.Stefan Hofrichter, head of global economics and strategy at Allianz GI, said the US economy had defied warnings of a recession and growth was expected to power ahead, adding the firm’s “base case scenario remains a ‘soft landing’ for the US and world economies”.However, he added: “The wild card is what happens after Donald Trump takes office as US president. The lavish spending he’s proposed could boost US growth in the short term. “But the impact of the higher tariffs he’s mooted for US trading partners may also dampen the outlook for Europe. We need to wait to see the extent to which his election campaign promises become policy.”Wall Street ended mostly on the front foot, with a surge in tech giants helping the Nasdaq to a record high, but Asia was mixed in early trade.Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Wellington and Taipei all rose, but Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Manila and Jakarta ticked lower.Bitcoin hit another record high of $107,791 on continued optimism that Trump will introduce measures to deregulate the cryptocurrency market.The Fed rate decision will be followed Thursday by announcements in Japan and the United Kingdom.Opinion is split on whether the Bank of Japan will unveil a third hike of the year — having lifted in March for the first time in 17 years — as officials in Tokyo look to shift the country away from years of ultra-loose policies.Still, while the BoJ and Fed are on course to bring their rates closer together, the yen is struggling to strengthen and is stuck around 154 per dollar.- Key figures around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.2 percent at 39,520.06 (break)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.2 percent at 19,752.82Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,395.67Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0521 from $1.0509  MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2689 from $1.2678Dollar/yen: DOWN at 154.05 yen from 154.13 yen Euro/pound: UP at 82.91 pence from 82.86 penceWest Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $70.71 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $73.93 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 43,717.48 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,262.05 (close)

TikTok asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to temporarily block a law that would force its Chinese owner to sell the popular online video-sharing platform or shut it down a month from now.The appeal to the nation’s top court came on the same day that TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew met with US President-elect Donald Trump, according to an NBC News report.At a press conference Monday, Trump said he has “a warm spot” for TikTok and that his administration would take a look at the app and the potential for a ban.The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless its owner ByteDance divests from the app by January 19.TikTok asked for the move to be put on hold while it challenges a lower court ruling that upheld the law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, potentially with an appeal to the Supreme Court itself.TikTok asked the nation’s top court to make a decision by January 6.”Congress has enacted a massive and unprecedented speech restriction,” TikTok, which claims to have more than 170 million monthly US users, said in its filing with the Supreme Court.Should the law come into force it would “shutter one of America’s most popular speech platforms the day before a presidential inauguration,” TikTok said.”This, in turn, will silence the speech of Applicants and the many Americans who use the platform to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other matters of public concern,” it added.”Applicants — as well as countless small businesses who rely on the platform — also will suffer substantial and unrecoverable monetary and competitive harms.”The potential ban could strain US-China relations just as Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20.Trump has emerged as an unlikely TikTok ally amid concerns that a ban on the app would mainly benefit Meta, the Facebook parent company owned by Mark Zuckerberg.Trump’s stance reflects conservative criticism of Meta for allegedly suppressing right-wing content, including the former president himself being banned from Facebook after the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot by his supporters.Trump’s support for TikTok marks a reversal from his first term, when the Republican leader tried to ban the app over similar security concerns.The US government alleges TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. It also says the video hosting service is a conduit to spread propaganda, though China and ByteDance strongly deny these claims.A three-judge US appeals court panel earlier this month unanimously upheld the law’s premise that TikTok divesting from Chinese ownership “is essential to protect our national security.”

Global shares mostly retreated Monday as markets awaited a Federal Reserve interest rate decision while concerns over political battles in Europe and China’s struggling economy pressured equities.The Nasdaq was the day’s outperformer, surging more than one percent to a fresh all-time high behind big gains for Broadcom, Google-parent Alphabet and other tech names.But the Dow fell, along with bourses in Europe and Asia as traders fretted over political instability in France and Germany.Bitcoin, meanwhile, hit a new record high, reaching $107,115.89 as it continues to gain support from Donald Trump’s backing of cryptocurrencies.Investors are turning their attention to Wednesday’s US Federal Reserve decision on borrowing costs at its last policy meeting of the year before Trump takes office next month.The Fed is widely expected to cut its key lending rate for a third straight time, reducing it by a quarter point despite a recent uptick in inflation.But there are fears it will have to slow its pace of easing next year owing to sticky inflation and bets that Trump’s tax cuts and tariffs will reignite price increases.Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading platform XTB, said that there would be “an elephant in the room” at the Fed meeting.”How to accurately forecast economic activity and inflation rates, when the President-elect’s policies are expected to have a huge economic impact and could trigger more inflation?” she wrote.- China and Europe worries -Investors also tracked data showing that Chinese retail sales grew 3.0 percent last month, much slower than in October and well off the five percent forecast.Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets closed lower after the data release while oil prices fell slightly on concerns over Chinese demand.Chinese officials have unveiled a string of aggressive measures in recent months aimed at bolstering growth in the world’s second-biggest economy.In Europe, the Paris stock market fell 0.7 percent after Moody’s downgraded France’s credit rating Saturday following months of political crisis and the appointment of centrist Francois Bayrou as prime minister.”The market is likely to watch closely to see how the political problems in France affect sentiment in the German economy,” said Jochen Stanzl, an analyst at CMC Markets.Frankfurt slid 0.5 percent as Germany’s embattled center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote, triggering elections set for February 23.The European Central Bank cut rates again last week as inflation appears to come under control and the eurozone economy shows signs of weakness.ECB chief Christine Lagarde said Monday that the bank would keep lowering interest rates, while warning that higher US tariffs under Trump could hit growth in the bloc.A closely watched survey released Monday showed that business activity declined further in the eurozone in December, though less sharply than the previous month thanks to an upturn in the services sector.- Key figures around 2210 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 43,717.48 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 0.4 percent at 6,074.08 (close)New York – Nasdaq: UP 1.2 percent at 20,173.89 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,357.08 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.5 percent at 20,313.81 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,262.05 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: FLAT at 39,457.49 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 19,795.49 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,386.33 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0509 from $1.0501 from FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2678 from $1.2619Dollar/yen: UP at 154.13 yen from 153.65 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.86 pence from 83.22 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.8 percent at $70.71 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.8 percent at $73.91 per barrel