Financial markets have been surging the past two weeks, anticipating the potential for more stimulative economic policy after the spate of recent anti-establishment political surprises. Central bankers on both side of the Atlantic, while more restrained, also are preparing for measures that might produce both higher growth and faster inflation. Following his election as U.S. president, Donald Trump and ...
Read More »Washington won’t have last word on climate
China is America’s largest trading partner, and the U.S. is the largest partner for China. And while it’s true that our two countries have differences, we know that when we work together, we can accomplish extraordinary things. Cooperation between the U.S. and China, after all, is what made the Paris climate agreement possible. In the wake of the presidential ...
Read More »Spell out clear strategy on Brexit process
On Wednesday, Britain’s finance minister Philip Hammond cut UK’s economic growth forecast for next year from 2.2% to 1.4%. The announcement came exactly five months after the June 23 referendum and rattled businesses in London. The UK economy has been in a tailspin as there continues to be ambiguity over the Brexit process. Even though British Prime Minister Theresa ...
Read More »Trump should make a free-trade pact with China
Here’s a suggestion for what should be among President Donald Trump’s priorities in Asia: Negotiate a free-trade agreement with China. You may think I’ve lost my mind. Hasn’t trade with China cost jobs and weakened U.S. industry, as Trump relentlessly argued during his campaign? Wouldn’t a free-trade pact only make matters worse? And isn’t the U.S. trade deficit with ...
Read More »Markets would struggle to digest corporate tax reform
Financial markets have been optimistic since the election of Donald J. Trump in the U.S., in part because investors assume that the incoming administration will pass some sort of business-friendly tax reform. But some of those reforms could hit investors in unexpected ways. One plank of Trump’s business-friendly tax reform, which Hillary Clinton proposed as well, entails giving multinational ...
Read More »Populist policies that won’t kill growth
Jean-Michel Paul When they were opposition figures, populists could content themselves with provocative slogans. Once in office they must produce concrete policies. The challenge for them — and for those incumbents trying to hold onto office — is to preserve the real gains of globalization while addressing the concerns of the new radical majority. Here are some policy directions ...
Read More »Saudi lifts mood in regional markets; Egypt holds near 8-year peak
DUBAI / Reuters Saudi Arabia’s index firmed on Wednesday as blue chips resumed their climb and the positive mood flowed into other Gulf bourses, carrying them higher. Egypt’s market edged up, holding near an 8-year peak as foreign funds remained aggressive buyers. Riyadh’s index bounced 3.0 percent to 6,796 points, closing 93 points over technical resistance at the July ...
Read More »Brexit and dollar batter London stock market
London / AFP A sharp slowdown in British growth due to Brexit and a rebounding dollar teamed up to jolt London stocks on Wednesday. While London stock market rose modestly ahead of the presentation Britain’s first budget update since the Brexit vote, those gains disappeared after finance minister Philip Hammond told parliament Wednesday that gross domestic product was expected ...
Read More »Pilot strike grounds nearly 900 Lufthansa flights
Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s long-running pilot dispute reached new levels of bitterness as a failed bid to have a day-long strike declared illegal led a union to retaliate by extending the walkout by 24 hours. Lufthansa canceled 876 flights on Wednesday, disrupting travel for 100,000 people, and could lose a similar number of services on Thursday after the Vereinigung ...
Read More »USA clears more plane deliveries to Iran Air: Airbus
Paris / AFP The United States has approved a second export licence for Airbus to sell jetliners worth billions of dollars to Iran’s flag carrier, the European aviation giant said. “We confirm that we have received our second licence from the US Office of Foreign Control Assets following the agreement (with Iran Air) signed in January 2016 in Paris,” ...
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