Wall Street Journal (May 16)
By one measure, President Trump’s Beijing summit “was a success. It didn’t achieve much, but it also didn’t appear to give away anything notable.” The caveat is that “we can’t be sure based on the few details leaking out from the parties,” some of which sound incredible. “Mr. Trump boasted about ‘fantastic’ Chinese purchases to come of U.S. soybeans and aircraft. But China didn’t confirm the sales, and by our count this is the second time China has bought the same American soybeans. Or is it the third?” In addition, Mr. Trump “also didn’t appear to bend to Mr. Xi’s threats on Taiwan, at least not so far.” If, however, Trump gives into China and “stops arming Taiwan, Mr. Xi will have won the veto over U.S. sales that the Chinese leader has long sought. It will send a message of weakness to our allies in the region.” Details like this, should they out, would make it a misnomer to call this “The Good-News-Is-No-News Summit.”
Tags: Aircraft, Allies, Arming, Beijing summit, Caveat. Leaking. Incredible. Fantastic, China, Misnomer, Purchases, Sales, Soybeans, Success, Taiwan, Threats, Trump, U.S., Veto, Weakness, Xi
Financial Times (April 3)
“Trading by amateur US investors has ebbed as popular bets stumble and vaccine programmes prompt consumers to focus on holidays and big purchases rather than have-a-go market speculation.”
Tags: Amateur, Bets, Consumers, Ebbed, Holidays, Investors, Market speculation, Popular, Purchases, Trading, U.S., Vaccine
Bloomberg (October 12)
“China’s car market has been one of the most reliable engines of global growth for decades. Now that all might be coming to an end…. Purchases of passenger vehicles by dealerships plunged for a third straight month…. The industry is now facing the prospect of its first contraction since at least the 1990s.”
Tags: Car market, China, Contraction, Global growth, Passenger vehicles, Plunged, Purchases, Reliable
