A bad week in the trade war The US and China have been spiraling further apart. President Trump’s imposition of new tariffs on Mexico will have been taken in Beijing as a warning that even a deal with the US doesn’t guarantee better relations – so why …
7th June 2019
The first regulatory takeover of a Chinese bank in more than two decades is a reminder that the balance sheets of many regional lenders are far less healthy than they claim. China’s interbank market mostly shrugged off the move since it reinforced the …
31st May 2019
If strictly enforced, the US decision to ban Huawei from doing business with American firms would be major headache for the company, which accounts for around 0.2% of Chinese GDP. And the move may also make it more difficult for the two countries to reach …
17th May 2019
The government’s plans to make it easier for rural migrants in small cities to acquire urban residency permits have raised hopes of a revival in property sales. But the nationwide impact will probably be marginal unless restrictions in larger cities are …
12th April 2019
Premier Li spoke to the press at the close of the National People’s Congress (NPC) today. He offered further details on the timing and scale of policy support – smaller than in previous cycles but probably enough to stabilise growth later this year. …
15th March 2019
Rally in Egyptian pound to be short-lived The appreciation of the Egyptian pound this week appears to have been driven by a spurt of foreign portfolio inflows, but we still think that the currency will record a modest fall in the next couple of years. …
31st January 2019
On the eve of the Xi-Trump showdown the latest data show that exports from China to the US of the goods affected by the first round of tariffs have fallen. But there is no sign that other countries are benefitting from diverted US demand. One possible …
30th November 2018
The end of the summer in Beijing has brought with it a hardening of views on the trade dispute with the US. Increasingly, tariffs are being seen not as negotiating ploys to win run-of-the-mill concessions from China but as elements of a containment …
31st August 2018
China’s economic recovery has put its air quality targets in jeopardy Urgent remedial action is being taken but this will hit growth in coming months In upcoming events: Economic issues come second to North Korea in Trump visit A crackdown on …
31st October 2017