6 August 2019 The US Federal Reserve's recent decision to reduce interest rates a stingy 25bp, and to deliver a less-dovish-than-expected statement raises more questions than it answered. Was the rate cut a one-time adjustment to provide insurance against the prospect of weaker growth ahead? Did Chairman Jerome Powell react to White House pressure? If [...]
8 June 2019 President Trump's recent decision to hike tariffs on an additional $200 billion of Chinese exports escalated the trade war. The US administration has suggested they will consider levies on a further $300 billion of US imports from its Asian partner following the June G20 meeting. It remains unclear if the imposition of [...]
25 October 2018 We all know China's economy is slowing. Indeed, markets and pundits agonise when GDP results fractionally dip below expectations, as highlighted by the spike in market volatility following the recent news Chinese output advanced "only" 6.5% during Q2 2018 (compared to the 6.6% forecast). To be sure, such results seem disappointing, as [...]
The IMF provides in-depth assessments of key policy issues. How is the rebalancing of the economy progressing? Can the dramatic capital outflows be controlled? How are coporate deleveraging and SOE reform advancing? What steps are being taken to control coal-induced pollution? China IMF August 2016