South China Morning Post (December 19)
“China reduced its US Treasury holdings in October to its lowest level in 17 years, as mounting concerns over US debt sustainability and the Federal Reserve’s independence further eroded confidence in dollar-backed assets. The country’s stockpile fell to US$688.7 billion in October, down from US$700.5 billion in September.” At the peak in 2013, China held approximately US$1.32 trillion in Treasuries.
Tags: 2013, Assets, China, Concerns, Confidence, Debt sustainability, Federal Reserve, Independence, Lowest, Peak, S, Treasuries, U
CNBC (November 7)
“Worries over the government shutdown surged in the early part of November, pushing consumer sentiment to its lowest in more than three years and just off its worst level ever.” The most recent University of Michigan “Index of Consumer Sentiment posted a reading of 50.3 for the month, indicating a decline of 6.2% on the month and about 30% from a year ago…. November’s reading was the second lowest going back to at least 1978.”
Tags: 1978, 50.3, Consumer sentiment, Decline, Government shutdown, Lowest, November, Surged, University of Michigan, Worries, Worst level
South China Morning Post (September 11)
“China’s top legislature has reviewed a plan to gradually raise the retirement age,” which is one of the lowest in the world at 60 for men and 50 (blue collar) or 55 (white collar) for women. The move comes “after China’s leadership has repeatedly called for the retirement age to be delayed in recent years, as the country faces growing pressure from a declining birth rate and an ageing population.”
Tags: $60, 50, 55, Birth rate, China, Declining, Leadership, Legislature, Lowest, Pressure, Retirement age, White collar
Reuters (December 8)
“Since war broke out in Ukraine and the U.S. Federal Reserve began a rapid cycle of raising borrowing costs early last year, it has been exceedingly difficult in most parts of the world for companies to get initial public offerings off the ground. Many are getting ready in case an opportunity arises,” but conditions remain unpromising. So far in 2023, “new listings have raised just $114 billion,” which is “on pace to be the lowest amount since 2008” and marks a “dramatic fall from the $571 billion peak achieved just two years ago.”
Tags: $114 billion, $571 billion, 2008, 2023, Dramatic fall, Fed, IPOs, Lowest, New listings, Peak, Rate hikes, U.S., Ukraine, Unpromising, War
Bankrate (October 10)
“Recession odds between now and September 2024 have dropped to 46 percent, according to experts’ average forecast in Bankrate’s latest quarterly survey of economists. Those probabilities are still close to a coin flip, but they’re down from an average forecast of 59 percent just last quarter. They’re also the lowest odds since the first quarter of 2022.”
Tags: 2022, 2024, 46%, Economists, Experts, Forecast, Lowest, Odds, Probabilities, Quarterly survey, Recession
Earth.Org (August 25)
“Southwest China is battling the worst drought in more than half a century. Rainfall in the Yangtze River Basin is at its lowest since 1961, down 45% from last July.” Some places “have not seen rain in more than two months” and Yangtze water levels “have halved, affecting trade, limiting drinking water supplies, and causing rolling blackouts.”
Tags: 1961, Drinking water, Drought, Halved, Lowest, Rainfall, Rolling blackouts, Southwest China, Trade, Water levels, Worst, Yangtze River Basin
Taipei Times (January 18)
In a development likely to affect mainland China’s growth potential, the birthrate “has fallen to its lowest level in six decades, barely outnumbering deaths last year despite major government efforts to increase population growth and stave off a demographic crisis.”
Tags: Birthrate, China, Deaths, Demographic crisis, Development, Efforts, Fallen, Government, Growth, Lowest, Mainland, Population, Potential
BBC (September 16)
America’s standing in the world has tumbled to “its lowest point in nearly two decades.” The most recent Pew Research Center poll of 13 countries found that only 34% of respondents had positive views of the U.S. and only 16% had confidence in President Trump. Interestingly the Belgians had the lowest confidence in Mr. Trump (just 9%) while “the president’s highest rating among the countries polled was in Japan, where a quarter of those surveyed said they trusted Mr Trump.”
Tags: Belgians, Confidence, Lowest, Pew Research, Positive, Standing, Trump, Tumbled, U.S.
Business Insider (April 23)
“President Donald Trump set another record low approval rating as he concludes his first 100 days in office.” A Washington Post/ABC poll “showed the new president with the lowest approval rating at this point of any president since the polling began in 1945,” with 53% disapproving of his performance and only a 42% approval rating.
Tags: ABC, Approval rating, Disapproving, Lowest, Poll, Record, Trump, Washington Post
