Off-road: Aston Martin swings to loss but revenue beats expectations May 15, 2019 Aston Martin fell to a £3.2m loss in the first quarter of 2019 even as the luxury car manufacturer boosted production and sales. Read more: Aston Martin falls to loss as it sets aside £30m for Brexit The figures Aston Martin Lagonda took a hit in the three months to the end of March as [...]
City Corporation slammed for decision to ban Taiwan float from Lord Mayor’s show May 14, 2019 The chair of the influential Foreign Affairs Select Committee has accused the City of London Corporation of allowing itself to be pushed around by China after the body banned Taiwan from participating in the Lord Mayor's show. In an unusual move, the City of London Corporation, which governs the Square Mile, went against the [...]
DEBATE: Is it possible for Donald Trump to ‘win’ the trade war with China? May 14, 2019 Is it possible for Donald Trump to ‘win’ the trade war with China? Dr John Hemmings, director of the Asia Studies Centre at the Henry Jackson Society, says YES. While many people blame Donald Trump’s “America First” policy for the trade war, it’s likely that Hillary Clinton would have done the same, since Beijing’s leadership has [...]
Economists are united about Trump’s trade folly May 14, 2019 In George Bernard Shaw’s words, if all the economists were laid end to end, they’d never reach a conclusion. Scour the pool of practitioners of the dismal science, and you will find supporters and detractors for almost every economic theory, from free markets to socialism. The one exception, however, is protectionism. Whether from the left [...]
Economists pour cold water on Trump’s tariff arguments May 13, 2019 Economists have said US President Donald Trump’s argument that American consumers will not face higher prices after tariff increases shows “a fundamental misunderstanding of how tariffs work”. Read more: China retaliates with tariffs on $60bn of US goods Trump tweeted today: “Their [sic] is no reason for the U.S. Consumer to pay the Tariffs, which take [...]
US markets follow Europe downwards as China announces retaliation tariffs May 13, 2019 US markets have followed their European counterparts sharply downwards after the bell, following China's announcement of retaliatory tariffs on $60bn worth of US goods in the latest development in the two countries' trade war. Read more: Global markets in tailspin after Trump threatens huge China tariff rise The US’s S&P 500 opened down 1.8 per cent [...]
US-China trade war: China retaliates with tariffs on $60bn of goods following US levy hike May 13, 2019 China’s ministry of finance has announced that it will place tariffs of between five and 25 per cent on $60bn worth of US goods in retaliation for America’s more significant duty increases. Read more: European markets take a hit over US-China trade war escalation It will target around 5,000 US goods from 1 June, the [...]
Chinese car sales fall for 10th straight month as US trade war picks up again May 13, 2019 Car sales in China, the biggest automotive market in the world, fell for the 10th consecutive month in April. Sales fell to 1.98m vehicles in April, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (Caam), marking a 14.6 per cent year on year decline. Read more: Car sales fall as removal of subsidies and Brexit [...]
A complicated outlook for oil prices May 13, 2019 Oil prices have surged by around 30% this year, but the rally off the Christmas lows has paused for breath. Despite the unrest in Venezuela and Iran sanctions denting the short-term supply outlook, coming at a time when OPEC and its allies are already curbing output in a bid to raise prices, Brent crude has [...]
Mr Congeniality: Trump says $200bn China tariffs are better than a ‘phenomenal’ trade deal May 10, 2019 US President Donald Trump has issued an impassioned defence of his tariff hike on $200bn worth of Chinese goods, saying they will bring in more wealth than “even a phenomenal” trade deal. Read more: China threatens retaliation as Trump rolls out $200bn tariff hike In a series of tweets, Trump said talks with China were [...]