CNN (February 17)
“Japan’s economy is flirting with recession, and the novel coronavirus could push it over the edge.” To some, a recession now looks “inevitable.”
Tags: Coronavirus, Economy, Flirting, Japan, Recession
New York Times (February 3)
In a move “that is unheard-of for an advanced economy…. Japan now plans to build as many as 22 new coal-burning power plants—one of the dirtiest sources of electricity—at 17 different sites in the next five years, just at a time when the world needs to slash carbon dioxide emissions to fight global warming.”
Tags: Advanced, CO2, Coal burning, Dirtiest, Economy, Electricity, Japan, Power plants, Unheard-of
Bloomberg (November 16)
China’s Q3 expansion is “the weakest since the government began releasing quarterly data in 1992. An obvious cause is the ongoing trade war…, but the economy would be decelerating even without that as is transitions away from the high debt, often wasteful growth model of the past. The knock-on effects are global, affecting companies and consumers alike.”
Tags: China, Debt, Decelerating, Economy, Expansion, Government, Q3, Trade war, Wasteful growth
Wall Street Journal (November 13)
The “booming” labor market has been the “Crown Jewel of Japan’s economy,” but it appears to be “losing its shine.” It now looks like the labor market “peaked even before the ill-considered sales-tax hike in October…. The shine is now coming off, with economic forces at home and abroad weighing on the employment gains made.”
Tags: Booming, Economy, Employment, Gains, Japan, Labor market, Peaked, Sales-tax hike
Investment Week (November 8)
“Both Japan and China will benefit from a genuine breakthrough in US-China trade relations. We have been preferring Japan to China in recent months, given the longer term issues affecting China’s relations with the West and the slowdown that is now visible in China’s economy.”
Tags: Breakthrough, China, Economy, Japan, Slowdown, Trade relations, U.S.
Financial Times (October 30)
“As the world economy slows and even Germany’s economy shows signs of weakness…. Policymakers in Germany and elsewhere should promote public and private spending—investment, above all. Huge opportunities do seem to exist. Moreover, the chance to borrow at today’s ultra-low long-term interest rates is a blessing, not curse…. In today’s economy, it is the only prudent thing to do.”
Tags: Borrow, Economy, Germany, Investment, Opportunities, Policymakers, Private, Prudent, Public, Slows, Spending, Ultra-low rates. Interest, Weakness
Straits Times (October 9)
According to the World Economic Forum, “Singapore is the world’s most competitive economy,” scoring “84.8 out of a possible 100, beating the United States to the top spot in the ranking of 141 economies.” Of the 12 assessment pillars, Singapore ranked first in infrastructure, healthy life expectancy and labor markets. Overall, the U.S. ranked second and Japan placed sixth, just behind Switzerland.
Tags: Economy, Infrastructure, Japan, Labor markets, Life expectancy, Most competitive, Singapore, U.S., WEF
Chicago Tribune (October 4)
“The jobs figures carry more weight than usual because worries about the health of the U.S. economy are mounting. Manufacturers have essentially fallen into recession as U.S. businesses have cut spending on industrial machinery, computers and other factory goods. And overseas demand for U.S. exports has fallen sharply as President Donald Trump’s trade conflicts with China and Europe have triggered retaliatory tariffs.”
Tags: Businesses, China, Computers, Conflicts, Economy, Europe, Exports, Factory goods, Industrial machinery, Jobs, Manufacturers, Overseas demand, Recession, Retaliatory tariffs, Spending, Trump, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (September 16)
“Economic activity in China cooled further in August.” Economists had expected a rebound from the troughs of July. Instead, “softness was visible last month in nearly every aspect of the Chinese economy, with industrial output and retail sales data pointing to sluggish demand and low confidence among businesses and consumers.”
Tags: August, China, Confidence, Consumers, Demand, Economy, Industrial output, Retail sales, Sluggish, Softness, Troughs
Reuters (September 16)
“The last thing the slowing world economy needs is a big and unexpected disruption in oil output.” The drone attacks “took out roughly half of Saudi Arabia’s crude output appear to fit that bill. But even fragile global growth can probably withstand this first cut.” However, if “sustained disruptions to Middle Eastern oil supply–or anything that heightens the risk of them–will buoy crude. That will deliver the deepest cut to growth.”
Tags: Crude, Crude output, Disruption, Drone attacks, Economy, Fragile, Growth, Middle East, Oil, Output, Risk, Saudi Arabia, Supply, Unexpected
