Financial Times (February 1)
“Mounting losses from banks in the US, Asia and Europe have rekindled concerns about weakness in the US commercial property market, a sector that has been under pressure from lower occupancy levels and higher interest rates.” This week New York Community Bancorp, Aozora Bank and Deutsche Bank each warned of related risks or recognized losses, which “mark the latest fallout from the… dual problems of fewer people working in offices since the pandemic and more expensive borrowing costs.”
Tags: Aozora Bank, Asia, Banks, Commercial property, Concerns, Deutsche Bank, Europe, Fallout, Interest rates, Losses, Occupancy, Offices, Pandemic, Pressure, Risks, U.S., Weakness
Bloomberg (October 27)
“The VIX is at 20, stocks are on the brink of their worst October in five years, and every other day the bond market throws a fit. For equity bulls conditioned to dive in at any sign of weakness, it’s getting to be too much. Across investor categories, they’re pulling money out” and moving to a defensive posture.” But “from a contrarian standpoint, all the gloom is a positive, suggesting latent buying power should sentiment ever flip.”
Tags: Bond market, Buying power, Contrarian, Defensive posture, Equity bulls, Fit, Gloom, Investor, Latent, October, Positive, Sentiment, VIX, Weakness, Worst
American Banker (June 22)
“Companies and government agencies have been added in recent days to the list of institutions victimized by a supply chain cyberattack by a ransomware gang that exploited a weakness in file transfer software popular with enterprises.” Cl0p, a ransomware gang, “started exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in Progress Software’s product MoveIt to steal data from at least 91 organizations, including state and federal agencies and at least 10 U.S. banks and credit unions. Data compromised in the leaks included names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers and more.”
Tags: Banks, Companies, Compromised, Credit unions, Cyberattack, FTP, Government, Institutions, MoveIt, Ransomware, Supply chain, U.S., Victimized, Weakness, Zero-day vulnerability
New York Times (June 19)
“China’s economic weakness holds benefits and dangers for the global economy. Consumer and producer prices have fallen for the past four months in China, putting a brake on inflation in the West by pushing down the cost of imports from China. But weak demand in China may exacerbate a global slowdown. “
Tags: Benefits, China, Consumer, Dangers, Demand, Global economy, Imports, Inflation, Producer prices, Weakness, West
Reuters (November 11)
“Signs of weakness are emerging” across the Chinese economy where “exports fell; inflation slowed; new bank lending tumbled…. Despite the authorities bucking the global trend… and deploying monetary and fiscal easing this year.” The “unexpectedly weak run of Chinese economic data” raises “the heat on policymakers to deliver more stimulus measures, but it also shows the limited effect more monetary easing and infrastructure spending can have.”
Tags: Bank lending, Economy, Emerging, Exports, Fiscal, Global trend, Inflation, Infrastructure spending, Limited effect, Monetary easing, Signs, Stimulus, Tumbled, Weak, Weakness
Bloomberg (November 1)
“China’s economy showed signs of further weakness in October as power shortages and surging commodity prices weighed on manufacturing, while strict Covid controls put a brake on holiday spending.” The purchasing mangers’ index shows “the economy is under pressure from both the supply and demand side.”
Tags: China, Commodity, Covid, Economy, Manufacturing, October, PMI, Power shortages, Prices, Spending, Strict, Supply, Surging, Weakness
Reuters (August 5)
“Lebanon has added tragedy to crisis.” The devastating blast in Beirut “sent seismic shockwaves across the capital, killing at least 100 people and injuring 4,000. A health emergency created by the pandemic may now be followed by a wider humanitarian crisis. Chronic political weakness makes everything worse.”
Tags: Beirut, Blast, Chronic, Crisis, Devastating, Emergency, Humanitarian crisis, Injuring, Killing, Lebanon, Pandemic, Tragedy, Weakness
Economist (January 11)
“The industries that will suffer most from new regulatory barriers to frictionless trade are those like aerospace, cars, chemicals, food and drink, and pharmaceuticals that rely on uninterrupted supply chains across Europe. They are concentrated in the midlands and north—exactly where Mr Johnson won his new Tory majority. If his weakness in the negotiations causes him to lose favour in those areas, his new domestic strength will be at risk.”
Tags: Aerospace, Brexit, Cars, Chemicals, Drink, Europe, Food, Frictionless trade, Johnson, Pharmaceuticals, Regulatory barriers, Supply chains, Tory, Weakness
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
Market Watch (August 24)
“U.S. China tensions over trade policy have reached a boiling point, the only question remaining is whether business executives — and the stock market — can stand the heat…. The further upping of trade barriers, along with Trump’s forceful response, threatens to further erode already sagging business confidence and trigger more weakness in U.S. business investment, which could eventually lead to rising unemployment.”
Tags: Barriers, China, Confidence, Investment, Stock market, Tensions, Trade, Trump, U.S., Unemployment, Weakness
