Forex 2019: Dollar rally to fade? January 7, 2019 | City Talk The course of 2018 saw a firming in the US dollar against just about every other currency. But the factors that contributed to this steady rise may be starting to diminish. The big question facing the FX markets this year is whether the dollar can continue to push higher or whether the softening in December [...]
Asian markets boosted as US officials land in China for first round of fresh trade talks January 7, 2019 US officials have arrived in China for the first round of talks between the two countries since a 90-day truce was called on their ongoing trade war at the start of December. Asian markets were optimistic the two could make a breakthrough on Monday, with the Nikkei jumping more than three per cent and smaller [...]
Trump strikes upbeat tone on talks with China ahead of crucial trade summit January 6, 2019 President Donald Trump reiterated his confidence in striking a trade deal with China this evening after insisting that weaknesses in Beijing’s economy gave the country incentives to work with the US. Ahead of crunch talks between US and Chinese trade representatives in Beijing later this week, Trump said: “I think China wants to get it resolved. [...]
Donald Trump threatens to use executive power to build border wall as government shutdown talks continue January 5, 2019 US President Donald Trump has threatened to use his executive powers to force through his proposal for a border wall between the United States and Mexico with the government still in shutdown. A meeting will take place this weekend between a team of Democrats and trio of Republicans led by vice-president Mike Pence as they look [...]
US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell says he would refuse to step down if asked to by Trump January 4, 2019 US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell has said he will not resign even if he is asked to by president Donald Trump. Powell responded “no” when asked whether he would resign if asked by the president at the American Economic Association’s annual meeting, CNBC reported. Powell was appointed by Trump, however the president has become [...]
House votes to end shutdown despite Trump veto threat over border wall January 4, 2019 The US House of Representatives has voted to end the partial government shutdown without funding President Donald Trump’s border wall. The congress, which is now under Democrat control, passed a bill to fund homeland security until 8 February, as well as measures to fund other federal agencies currently affected by the shutdown. But the move [...]
Trump blames US government shutdown on Democrats’ 2020 election efforts January 3, 2019 US President Donald Trump has blamed the ongoing partial federal government shutdown on his opponents playing politics, as the new look Democrat-controlled congress convenes for the first time. Shortly before newly-elected members were sworn into the House of Representatives, including two Muslims, Trump said Democrats were “going all out on the desperately needed Wall and [...]
Oil price volatility driven by supply curbs and worries about economic contraction January 3, 2019 Oil prices were changeable today as evidence that production had dropped was counterbalanced by fears of an econonomic contraction that could hit demand. A survey from Reuters showed oil supply had its largest month-on-month drop since January 2017 in December. The 15 countries that make up the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) pumped [...]
From Brexit to tariffs, brace yourself for an uncertain 2019 January 3, 2019 Get ready for a 2019 full of uncertainty. On the political scene, headline events range from Brexit to the US-China trade tensions to EU reforms – all coming at a vulnerable stage in the business cycle, with half of US chief financial officers expecting a recession in 2019, and over 80 per cent by 2020. [...]
Global stock markets stumble into New Year as investors spooked by economic fears in China and US January 2, 2019 Stock markets staged a recovery this afternoon after economic fears continued to weigh on both the FTSE and Wall Street into 2019 after they recorded 10-year lows in 2018. The FTSE 100 recovered to close 0.04 per cent down after an initial 1.8 per cent fall, and Wall Street also rallied after tumbling as it opened, spooked [...]