Asia appears to have withstood the global energy price shock reasonably well, Capital Economics' Gareth Leather says in a webinar. The region looked vulnerable initially when the Iran war broke out, due to its heavy reliance on energy supplies from the Middle East. However, many Asian governments provided fiscal support through subsidies and price controls to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices. Consumers and businesses haven't really borne the brunt of higher energy prices; instead, governments' fiscal positions have been hit, he says. (amanda.lee@wsj.com)