Facebook has quietly set up shop in China, despite its sites being blocked there | City A.M. July 24, 2018 Facebook has opened a subsidiary with $30m (£22.2m) in registered capital in China, using its Hong Kong business as the sole shareholder. An official business registration was filed for the company in Hangzhou last week, Reuters first reported. Its operations will include network information technology development and related services, investment consultancy and marketing planning. Facebook’s [...]
Donald Trump “ready to go” on applying tariffs on all Chinese imports | City A.M. July 20, 2018 Donald Trump has said he is “ready” to push tariffs on all Chinese goods coming into the US as the President continues his stand off against Beijing. The US already has tariffs on $34bn-worth of goods coming in from the country, which has received tit-for-tat measures. But Trump told CNBC he was “ready to go [...]
Last Week in the City: August rate rise now less likely July 20, 2018 Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market-moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (16 to 20 July 2018). The chances of an interest rate rise at the Bank of England’s August meeting appeared to recede this week after inflation data was more subdued than expected and retail sales data [...]
Chinese tech giant Alibaba makes $1.43bn investment in digital advertising firm Focus Media | City A.M. July 19, 2018 Chinese tech group Alibaba has snapped up a minority stake in digital advertising firm Focus Media in a deal worth $1.43bn (£1.1bn). In a statement, the company said it would buy a 6.62 per cent in the firm, and could increase its stake by five per cent in the next year. Alibaba will also invest [...]
How might a trade war play out? July 19, 2018 The Trump team appears to see trade wars as a central policy rather than a bargaining strategy. With the possible advent of further tariffs on European and Chinese exports, we look at the potential consequences such as higher inflation and lower growth. The impact on interest rates and currencies While the US has begun to [...]
Why is this such a worried bull market? July 18, 2018 Normally bull markets are full of people who are optimistic. They radiate enthusiasm for economies and shares. They hunt down markets or individual stocks that look cheap compared to the rest and recommend them. They recommend simply buying the global or local market to join in a general uplift in shares they expect. Eventually you [...]
China’s Didi scores $500m and a $1.5bn spinoff deal ahead of an early 2019 exit | City A.M. July 17, 2018 Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing today announced $500m (£380.1m) in investment from the US parent of Booking.com, alongside rumours of a potential deal to sell off its car services unit for $1.5bn. Though the company has yet to comment on any plans for an initial public offering, it is thought that Didi will need to [...]
Market outlook July 17, 2018 Trump trade war threat A continued world recovery, led by the US with good support from Chinese growth among the emerging markets, is a positive backdrop for share markets. The Trump tax cuts and spending increases could boost US demand and output with the upcoming earnings season in the US likely to be the strongest [...]
China shifts investment focus from North America to Europe July 16, 2018 China is shifting its investment focus away from North America and onto Europe, as trade policies and political change force a shift in East-West relations. In the first six months of 2018, foreign direct investment (FDI) from China into Europe reached $22bn ($16.63bn), compared with just $2.5bn in North America. In the first six months [...]
Boeing braced for tariff rises as US-China trade war continues July 15, 2018 Aviation giant Boeing is readying itself for new tariffs stemming from the ongoing trade war between the US and China. However, the firm’s chief executive has admitted that there has been no material impact on its running costs just yet. Speaking ahead of the Farnborough Airshow, Boeing’s chief executive Dennis Muilenburg addressed concerns that the [...]