Ansuya Harjani

China is due to release its 1st quarter growth figures next week and expectations are high that they will confirm economic recovery in the world's most populous nation is on track. But how sustainable is this stimulus-backed rebound clouded by elevated debt levels and a bubbly property market?

Singapore's government unveiled a slew of curbs in January including increasing a tax on foreigners purchasing residential property and citizens purchasing their 2nd home.

The success of Oi Wah Pawnshop can be attributed to its unique offering and reasonable price. Could this small, $12.9 million listing be the catalyst that injects life back into Hong Kong's lackluster IPO market?

Inconsistency and exaggeration have many economists questioning China's latest export figures. Numbers blew past expectations, coming in more than double of what was forecast, raising questions over the reliability of the data.

China has seen a boom in the property sector recently, and average home buyers have been pushed out of the market. The cost of a home in Shanghai is reaching around 45 times the average resident's annual salary. If the property bubble were to burst, it would be a 'disaster,' with a plunge in home prices sparking an 'Arab Spring' type social unrest.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stood on the sidelines for much of 2012 as worries over runaway inflation trumped growth concerns. Now as price pressures abate, the central bank is expected to step up monetary easing significantly to revive flagging growth in Asia's third largest economy.

"Gold will always retain its shine in India."

Experts say China prefers the continuity and consistency of a second Obama term.