Although the news is focused on the human drama of COVID-19 — with quarantines, heroism, tragedy, and fear — economists and financial analysts are busy working through different scenarios for the impact that the epidemic will have on economic activity and economic growth, both in the most affected countries and Read more
The rollout of 5G wireless internet presents an enormous economic opportunity, since it will involve the construction and deployment of hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure, and ultimately enable the creation of trillions of dollars’ worth of economic value. The companies that provide that infrastructure will be some Read more
Last week, in our Market Summary, we commented: “A correction could come in one of two forms — either a boring, sideways grind lasting several months, or a sharp decline of 4–8%, coincident with some appropriate externality, followed by a renewed uptrend. The recent outbreak of a SARS-like coronavirus in Read more
At the very end of 2019, China added liquidity to its financial system by loosening the reserve requirements for banks and allowing them to lend more. This move followed three other such cuts earlier in the year, making a total of seven since early 2018. Cutting required reserves is a Read more
The U.S. U.S. stocks continue to forge ahead. In the ebb and flow of news related to trade, impeachment, geopolitics, and the 2020 election, we continue to note underlying reasons for strength. (Of course, the market may decline by 1–4% at any time). One of these reasons is the perpetually Read more
The U.S. The U.S. market got a modest boost from the announcement of a trade truce with China, in which China agreed to boost some U.S. agricultural imports, and the U.S. suspended a tariff hike on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports. According to the announcement, the initial deal will Read more
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross recently took a trip to Australia to help strengthen commercial ties between the two close allies. One of the key points of his visit was to lay the groundwork for discussions of a “U.S.-Australia Critical Minerals Action Plan” that will be finalized in November. Read more
Every ten years, the People’s Republic of China has a major celebration on October 1, the anniversary of the country’s founding in 1949. This October 1 will be the 70th anniversary — the first major celebration occurring under China’s President For Life, Xi Jinping. The Chinese government has been taking Read more
China and Iran Deepen Ties A recent report in the Petroleum Economist provided some confidential details about the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that Iran and China signed in 2016. The Iranian and Chinese foreign ministers met at the end of August to hammer out some of the accord’s details. According Read more
The Real Data Are Weaker Than China Will Admit China’s rise as an economic power has been good not just for Chinese businesses selling goods to the rest of the world; it has also been good for global businesses selling goods and services to China. Big U.S. companies have been Read more
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