MUMBAI (June 19): Confidence among Asian companies in the June quarter fell to its lowest since the 2008-09 financial crisis, as a US-China trade war disrupts global supply chains and shows little sign of easing soon, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey found.
The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index tracking companies' six-month outlook worsened in the three months ended June to 53, versus 63 in the previous two quarters.
(June 18): The US and China said their presidents will meet in Japan next week to relaunch trade talks after a monthlong stalemate, triggering a rally in financial markets.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had a “very good” phone conversation with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The two leaders will hold an “extended meeting” at the G-20 summit on June 28-29 in Osaka and “our respective teams will begin talks prior to our meeting,” Trump said on Twitter. The U.S. president had repeatedly threatened more tariffs if Xi spurned the opportunity to talk.
SINGAPORE (June 10): For some time, the four horsemen of US macroeconomic policymaking have been taxation, regulation, trade and infrastructure. Having studied the first in detail, I have found tax cuts to be a positive contributor to economic growth. Though I have considered the second area in less detail, the evidence suggests that regulation is, at best, only a minor contributor to growth. The third area is very important, which is why today’s trade tensions are so worrying.
SINGAPORE (June 10): It’s time for investors to start thinking seriously about the impact of US President Donald Trump’s executive orders on investments on both US companies and Chinese companies that are listed in the US. This is swiftly moving from the potential outlier scenario to a very real scenario with rapid impact.
WASHINGTON (June 7): President Donald Trump said he’ll decide whether to enact tariffs on another $325 billion ($443.4 million) in Chinese imports after the Group of 20 summit at the end of the month in Japan, where he’s expected to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping.
“I will make that decision after the G-20,” Trump told reporters at a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Caen, France, on Thursday. “I’ll be meeting with President Xi and we’ll see what happens but probably planning it sometime after G-20.”
SINGAPORE (Jun 3): During the 19th century, China was a punching bag for Western powers. It is remembered by many Chinese as the “Century of Humiliation”, and there is a determination not to allow a repeat of this situation. This means China is not going to roll over to the increasingly belligerent demands of US President Donald Trump.0
SINGAPORE (May 27): “We believe that the president of the US is engaged in a cover-up.” — US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, following a meeting with other Democratic Party leaders on whether or not to impeach US President Donald Trump.
Singapore and Malaysia suspend intercity rail project
SINGAPORE (May 27): National politics in the US has become enslaved to macroeconomic indicators that have little bearing on true well-being. For many commentators, the snapshot growth rate of 3.2% for the first quarter of 2019, coupled with a decline in the unemployment rate to 3.6% in April, implies that President Donald Trump’s economic policies have been vindicated, and some suggest that his re-election chances have improved as a result.
SINGAPORE (May 27): How can you destroy a strong industry competitor in three easy steps? US President Donald Trump’s most recent executive order in relation to Huawei Technologies has shown the process, and investors need to be worried, very worried. This decision affects companies all the way along the supply chain, with adverse investment impact on companies which, at first sight, seem far removed from Huawei.
NEW YORK (May 21): Nike Inc., Adidas AG and other footwear giants urged President Donald Trump to reconsider his tariffs on shoes made in China, saying the policy would be “catastrophic for our consumers, our companies and the American economy as a whole.”
In all, 173 companies signed an open letter to the president, dated Monday and posted on the industry trade association’s website. It was also sent to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow.
