Institutional Investor (June 27)
“Further escalation between the U.S. and China could make U.S. Treasuries less dependable.” But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. “Every trade is financed…. Trade and capital flows are part and parcel of a complex system. Mess with trade flows and there will be ‘unintended’ impacts on capital flows. Equally, disturb capital flow and there will be an impact on trade flows.” As trade issues also flare up with NAFTA and Brexit, it’s “no wonder equity markets are volatile.”
Tags: Brexit, Capital flows, China, Equity markets, Escalation, Impacts, Nafta, Trade, Treasuries, U.S., Unintended, Volatile
Wall Street Journal (April 12)
“It’s not the Trump Administration, it’s an adventure, and on Thursday there was a glint of good news on trade of all things…. President Trump directed his advisers to examine if the U.S. could negotiate its way back into the Pacific trade deal he walked away from in 2017.” Then again, this might just “another please-the-crowd attempt that will vanish like a tweet.”
Wall Street Journal (April 3)
“Donald Trump hasn’t been talking about the rising stock market lately, and no wonder. Stocks have given up their earlier gains since the President unveiled his protectionist trade agenda” amid concern over “uncertainty from rising trade tension.” So far, China’s response “is measured, affecting $3 billion in annual trade or about 2% of U.S. goods exports to China, but it sends a pointed message that a larger trade war would hurt American businesses, farmers in particular.” If China subsequently moves to target “America’s biggest exports to China, such as soybeans and Boeing aircraft,” the pain will be much greater.
Tags: Boeing, China, Concern, Exports, Farmers, Protectionist, Soybeans, Stock market, Trade, Trade war, Trump, U.S., Uncertainty
Washington Post (April 1)
China “has always been the biggest trade target for Trump. It also appears to be the first country to retaliate to his trade threats, putting pressure on leaders in Washington and Beijing to anticipate each other’s next moves quickly.”
The Economist (March 31)
“Just six words suffice to sum up President Donald Trump’s approach to trade …make threats, strike deals, declare victory.” But this will not create a victory. “Even if conflict is averted and China gives ground… the result will be a bad one for the world, and for America. That is partly because of Mr Trump’s character. If he thinks he has won one fight, he is likelier to start another. It is also because his policy is founded on wretched economics and dangerous politics.”
Tags: China, Conflict, Dangerous, Deals, Economics, Politics, Threats, Trade, Trump, Victory, Wretched
Forbes (February 6)
“The dollar-euro exchange rate is the most important price in the world…. How so? These are two surpassingly large economic areas, and they trade and invest more than enough with each other—such that each imports the other’s entire relative price structure…. Change that exchange rate in a big way—a fifth is plenty big—and all sorts of new decisions will come in terms of where one plans to invest, produce, and sell.”
Tags: Dollar, euro, Exchange rate, Imports, Invest, Price structure, Produce, Sell, Trade
Reuters (April 14)
“While individual companies are hesitant to criticize China for fear of backlash, critics from U.S. business groups accuse Beijing of unfairly subsidizing domestic firms and restricting foreign investment into much of the world’s second-biggest economy.” Meanwhile, U.S. business leaders may also be wary of offending President Trump even thought they are concerned given the “skin-deep results from Trump-Xi trade talks.”
Tags: Backlash, China, Critics, Economy, Foreign investment, Subsidies, Trade, Trump, U.S., Unfair, Xi
Jerusalem Post (February 9)
A newly signed bilateral investment treaty marks “another milestone in Israel’s newly blossoming relationship with” Japan. “While celebrations are indeed in order, it is apparent that Israel is only scratching the surface of the potential relationship with Japan, and unless it negotiates the obstacles along the way, will never realize the full potential of trade with the world’s third-largest economy.”
Tags: Bilateral, Investment treaty, Israel, Japan, Milestone, Relationship, Trade
Chicago Tribune (November 30)
“When Donald Trump takes office, he says, one of his first acts will be to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed trade deal with 11 other nations. Illinois farmers and factory owners are dismayed. China’s thrilled. What does that tell you about the wisdom of Trump’s decision?”
Bloomberg (June 14)
“The shipping industry is struggling through its worst recession in half a century, and that icon of globalization — the mega-container ship — is a major part of the problem. With global growth and trade still sluggish, and the benefits of sailing and docking big boats diminishing with each new generation, ship owners are belatedly realizing that bigger isn’t better.”
Tags: Better, Bigger, Container ships, Diminishing returns, Globalization, Growth, Recession, Shipping industry, Sluggish, Trade
