The United States was rocked by another political tragedy after Charlie Kirk, a conservative figure and close supporter of Donald Trump, was shot dead while attending an event at Utah Valley University. This incident immediately sparked national outrage, given that Kirk was known as an influential young figure in the conservative movement and a frequent mobilizer of Trump's voter base. The shooting is feared to deepen political polarization in the US, with Republicans viewing it as an attack on free speech, while the issue of gun control has resurfaced. This political uncertainty has the...
Many companies had been steadily reducing their reliance on China as a manufacturing hub since President Donald Trump's first term, hoping to blunt the impact of punitive levies from the United States. Then his latest "reciprocal" tariffs came along. Trump's move to impose tariffs on goods on a broader swathe of countries is now putting those diversification plans in disarray and leaving companies scrambling to decide where and how their goods are produced. Steve Greenspon, CEO of Illinois-based houseware company Honey-Can-Do International, started moving more of his production from China...
The Indonesian rupiah touched an all-time low of around 16,950 per USD in April as the U.S. readied 104% tariffs on Chinese goods, escalating tensions between the world's two largest economies. Meanwhile, Indonesia faces a 32% tariff from the U.S. President Prabowo Subianto has instructed his cabinet to simplify trade rules and ease non-tariff barriers while assessing the impact on key exports such as textiles, electronics, footwear, and palm oil. Adding to the pressure, Indonesia's current account remained in deficit for the seventh quarter in Q4 of 2024, underscoring structural trade...
Markets may still be underestimating the risk of a full-blown U.S. recession following the sharp escalation in tariffs on Chinese goods, Goldman Sachs analyst said in a note. In the wake of the tariff announcement, U.S. markets experienced one of the largest two-day growth downgrades in decades, with implied GDP growth expectations dropping by 130 basis points—on par with shocks seen during COVID, the global financial crisis, and Black Monday in 1987, analysts said. Despite the massive selloff on Wall Street on April 3 and April 4, Goldman Sachs noted that markets have yet to fully price...
The United States said Tuesday that 104% tariffs on Chinese imports would go into effect shortly after midnight, even as the Trump administration moved quickly to begin talks with other trading partners targeted by President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff plans. U.S. stocks slumped on the news. Global markets had earlier posted gains on hopes that Trump might be willing to negotiate a series of country- and product-specific trade barriers he has built around the world's largest consumer market. The administration has scheduled talks with South Korea and Japan, two close allies and major...
Indonesia's consumer prices rose by 1.03% yoy in March 2025, below forecasts of a 1.16% gain, after a 0.09% drop in February. It was the highest inflation since last December as the electricity tariff returned to normal after discounting for the first two months of 2025 and rising consumption amid the Eid al-Fitr festive season. Core inflation, excluding administered and volatile food prices, stood at a 20-month high of 2.48%, slightly surpassing forecasts of a 2.50% rise. Monthly, the CPI increased by 1.65%, the most since December 2014, reversing a 0.48% fall in February, compared to...
China's official NBS Manufacturing PMI increased to 49.7 in June 2025 from May's 49.5, matching market expectations while marking the third consecutive month of contraction in factory activity.
It...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of further developments in trade talks between US President Trump and Chinese...
Less than four months ago, President Donald Trump met with Qatar's leader, praised his magnificent palace, and signed a comprehensive defense agreement with the Gulf monarchy, a key ally that hosts...