August, 2019

• 19 August

  Support for free trade among Americans on rise in new poll

  Bloomberg Support for free trade among Americans is on the rise, as backing for President Donald Trump — the self-described “Tariff Man” — dips to its lowest level in more than a year, an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll showed. Almost two-thirds — 64% — see free trade as good for the US, an all-time high for the survey series. Support ...

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• 19 August

  Europe IPOs at lowest since crisis fuels market fears

  

  Bloomberg If the lament over a shrinking equity market has been momentarily drowned out in US by opening bells rung by red-hot debutantes, it’s only gotten louder on this side of Atlantic. Eighty-four companies have listed in Europe this year, the fewest in a decade by a mile, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. By deal value, it’s the lowest ...

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• 19 August

  India keeps Kashmir under lockdown as anger grows

  

  Bloomberg Communications restrictions continued across Kashmir two weeks after India scrapped the region’s autonomy, while the fate of detained political leaders — including former chief ministers — remains uncertain. India aid all government offices along with around 190 schools would be reopened from Monday, however curbs in some parts of the capital Srinagar were reimposed after protesters clashed with police, ...

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• 19 August

  Iran warns US against attempt to seize oil tanker

  

  Bloomberg Iran warned the US against apprehending a supertanker carrying the Middle East country’s oil, leaving the fate of the vessel uncertain as it sailed east into the Mediterranean Sea from Gibraltar, where it been detained since last month. The tanker, formerly called the Grace 1 and now known as the Adrian Darya 1, was signaling — at least for ...

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• 19 August

  Russian MPs look for foreign hand in protests

  

  Bloomberg Leaders of Russia’s lower house of parliament met to discuss alleged foreign meddling in the country’s affairs including in elections, amid the biggest wave of protests in Moscow in seven years. The council of the State Duma, comprising party leaders and top officials, held a special session to create a commission to investigate “the facts of possible interference in ...

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• 19 August

  Spain accuses Italy of breaking ‘migrant rules’

  

  Bloomberg Spain accused Italy of breaking international rules with its failure to allow a ship carrying 107 migrants to dock at an Italian port. Italy “is keeping its ports closed in breach of all the rules,” acting Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said in an interview with Cadena Ser radio. “We are talking about people, about laws that everyone has ...

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• 19 August

  China compares HK democrats to Mao-era ‘Gang of Four’

  

  Bloomberg Four senior Hong Kong democrats have found themselves labeled by Chinese state media as a new “Gang of Four,” as Beijing seeks to assign blame for the largely leaderless protest movement rocking the city. A string of state media editorials have compared the long-time opposition figures — including former Chief Secretary Anson Chan, former Democratic Party chief Albert Ho, ...

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• 19 August

  Hong Kong protests: Beware of ‘moral hazard’

  

  Watching videos of Chinese protestors singing the US national anthem in the streets of Hong Kong, or hearing the tear-jerking chorus of “Les Miserables” during a sit-in at the Hong Kong airport, only someone with a heart of stone wouldn’t want to assist these brave people who are fighting for their freedom. But beware. The problem is that easy gestures ...

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• 19 August

  Walmart finds consumer is still confident

  

  A day after a stock market rout driven by recession fears, Walmart Inc. issued a second-quarter earnings report that should provide at least a sliver of solace: Consumers have been out in force spending at its big-box stores. The mega-retailer reported that US comparable sales rose 2.8 percent from a year earlier in the quarter. That growth looks especially robust ...

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• 19 August

  The Treasury bond rush won’t end well

  Many nations in recent years are trying to wall themselves off from the rest of the world, but financial markets are immune: Money is moving freely, showing financial markets at least remain as intertwined as ever. In Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas, yield curves are inverting simultaneously. Investors, fearing that the protectionist nations will be successful against globalisation, are ...

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