The Hang Seng Index reversed its downward trend in Hong Kong on Thursday (February 12th), weakening by around 0.9% to around 27,000 after a strong session earlier. This decline halted the momentum of the short term rally, as investors began to reduce risk in large cap stocks. Among the index's contributors, Tencent was a major drag, with its shares falling by around 2.3%, putting pressure on the technology sector, which has recently been a driving force behind market gains. Weakness in large cap companies like this typically quickly impacts sentiment due to their significant weighting in...
China and the United States start their first major Trade War Two meeting on Saturday to pull back from what analysts describe as a lose-lose situation for their economies, without much clarity on what a win would look like for either side. China is at the epicentre of U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war that has roiled financial markets, upended supply chains and fuelled risks of a sharp worldwide economic downturn. Washington wants to reduce its trade deficit with Beijing and convince China to renounce what the U.S. says is a mercantilist economic model and contribute more to...
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said the trade deal concluded between the United States and Britain was a good thing but still left tariffs on most British goods exports to the U.S. higher than they were before last month. Before details of the deal were announced on Thursday, the BoE published estimates showing U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans as of April 29 would shrink Britain's economy by about 0.3% over three years. Around two thirds of the hit was due to the direct impact of tariffs in reducing demand for British exports in the United States and elsewhere, while the...
U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff agenda is likely to push up inflation, weigh on employment, and dent growth later this year, according to Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr. Should prices and unemployment begin to rise, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee may be in a more difficult position as they assess their next policy moves, Barr added in prepared remarks to the Central Bank of Iceland on Friday. "The size and scope of the recent tariff increases are without modern precedent, we don't know their final form, and it is too soon to know how they will affect the...
China's Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying said on Friday (May 9) that "China has 'full confidence' in its ability to manage the US trade issues." Additional quotes The US cannot 'keep doing what it is doing' on trade policy. China does not want 'any form of war with other countries'. China has 'full ability to overcome difficulties' amid trade war. 'Ordinary people' in China do not want a trade war but are confident. On US trade talks, 'if we have to face reality, come on. We are not afraid.' The comments come ahead of high-level trade talks between the US and China in Geneva,...
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that trade deals with South Korea and Japan could take significantly more time to complete than the framework agreement President Donald Trump announced Thursday with the UK, in a signal that some Asian partners may have to wait for tariff relief. "You've got to spend an enormous amount of time with Japan, South Korea. These are not going to be fast deals," Lutnick said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. Lutnick added that India has been "leaning in really hard" and the country was "certainly" a possibility to be among the...