COMMENT: HI MA, Well, I know you’ve written about Germany many times as the next big country in Euro to hit the skids…I kept with Italy for a long period BUT now it is neck and neck… What changed my mind?   Independent of your writings…. It is shipping…there are a significant amount of German banks in […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: Tomorrow,  the G20 meeting will commence in Osaka, Japan. Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prior to the meeting in order to try and build a relationship going forward. Meanwhile, the U.S. and China have reportedly agreed to delay any tariffs until the two sides meet at […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: The Chinese foreign minister has stated that they will “not allow” the G20 to discuss matters regarding Hong Kong. Recently, Hong Kong overruled a previous ruling that allowed Chinese extradition. Over the weekend, Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen requested that the U.S. stop their inappropriate tariffs and actions against Chinese companies. […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: The US has added five more Chinese companies to a US blacklist that restricts US companies from dealing with the companies on the list. Of those included on the list is a Chinese government-owned supercomputing company, with military applications and dealing with national security. The companies “pose a significant risk of being […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will hold talks with Chinese President Xi. President Xi arrived in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, in the first state visit in 14 years. The main topics reportedly will be nuclear armaments and trade. Interesting timing given both are in the midst of US negotiations in way […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: Nikkei has reported that Apple plans to move some of its manufacturing out of China. However, it is unlikely that the jobs will go to the US against the president’s wishes. “A lower birthrate, higher labor costs and the risk of overly centralizing its production in one country. These adverse factors are […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: There was upbeat news regarding the U.S.-China trade deal today. Trump stated that he and President Xi spoke and that they will have an extended meeting next week at the G20 event. A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit the north east of Japan today, with expectations of perhaps multiple tsunamis to hit the […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: Hong Kong repealed their decision to allow extradition to China after thousands went to the streets in protest of the original decision. Prominent activist Joshua Wong has called for the city leader Carrie Lam to step down. Chinese technology giant Huawei has admitted that there has been as much as a 40% […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: Chinese Industrial output numbers were released today and show a growth rate of 5%. This is the lowest rate of growth in 17 years, showing the strain the U.S. trade tariffs are likely having on the Chinese economy. A former Chinese central bank governor has warned that the trade war can cause […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: A Pilipino ship was sunk in the South Chinese Sea. The Philippines sent a formal diplomatic protest to Beijing on Thursday condemning the actions of the Chinese ship and urging China to investigate the matter. The Chinese responded by calling the incident an “ordinary maritime accident.” There are currently joint Japan and […]