In The News

Joseph E. Stiglitz August 12, 2019
The Trump administration is delivering shocks to the economy before experts can assess the consequences, suggests economist Joseph Stiglitz. All that is sure about the US economy is volatility and uncertainty. Reductions in the interest rate by the US Federal Reserve as central bank have little effect. “Long ago, John Maynard Keynes recognized that while a sudden tightening of monetary policy,...
Ephrat Livni August 7, 2019
China is leading the world in the highly regulated caviar industry. The term, once applied strictly to the roe from wild-caught sturgeon, is now loosely applied to eggs from multiple species of fish, whether caught in the wild or raised in aquaculture facilities. The delicacy originated in Russia and Turkey before spreading to Europe and the rest of the world, and in overfishing became a threat...
Malcolm Scott, Kevin Hamlin and Tian Chen August 5, 2019
The trade war is not ending quickly and tensions grow after the US president announced a new round of tariffs as of September 1. China let the yuan tumble to seven per dollar, the lowest level since 2008. Donald Trump had accused China of currency manipulation, but China may be giving him a lesson in market forces - despite the risk for capital flight. China’s state-owned enterprises will also...
Teng Jing Xuan August 1, 2019
Political tensions spill over to trade and other areas. China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism will allow Chinese mainland citizens to travel to Taiwan only with group tours. “Travelers from 47 Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have been allowed to apply for permits to visit Taiwan individually under a program that began in 2011,” reports Teng Jing Xuan for Caixin. “Once...
Sophie Berner-Eyde July 29, 2019
US President Donald Trump has suggested that he and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have plans for a “very substantial” trade deal. The UK cannot negotiate a trade deal until after it leaves the European Union, scheduled for October 31. “UK-U.S. preliminary talks on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) spanning the last two years, however, have failed to show any meaningful progress and are...
James Politi July 28, 2019
Donald Trump wants the United States to lead in all trade matters and he is criticizing the World Trade Organization for allowing too many nations claim developing-economy status that provides special treatment. These benefits include “procedural advantages in disputes, softer tariff cuts, the ability to maintain export subsidies and weaker commitments in negotiations”. Trump specifically noted...
Tom Fairless and Paul Hannon July 23, 2019
Populist rhetoric, heightened security reviews and global tensions contribute to reduced foreign investment in the West, report Tom Fairless and Paul Hannon for the Wall Street Journal. Foreign investment in the United States fell by 9 percent and 30 percent in Germany. The writers point out that FDI data is volatile, easily distorted by a small number of large transactions. Still, UN statistics...