ASIA: Senior US and Chinese officials will review the implementation of their Phase 1 trade deal and likely air mutual grievances in an increasingly tense relationship during an August 15 video conference, two people familiar with the plans said. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, the principal negotiators […]

QUESTION: You said the Dollar Index is not valid because it was based on trade 30 years ago. I seem to recall you had your own index. Would you explain the difference and how has this performed lately? Thank you GF ANSWER: The index we use is based, not on trade, but capital flows. To […]

ASIA: US President Trump’s suggestion that the US government take a cut from the forced sale of the viral Chinese app TikTok sparked a new round of anger and reflection in China, as TikTok’s founder warned employees about “rising anti-Chinese sentiment.” On Tuesday, a number of prominent figures in China, including Google’s former country head, […]

ASIA: China said on Monday it was firmly opposed to any US actions against Chinese software companies, responding to remarks by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington will take action shortly against Chinese firms feeding data to Beijing’s government. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters during a daily briefing that China […]

ASIA: Buoyed by a construction boom, China’s economic recovery continued apace in July, new sentiment data suggested. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for July stood at 51.1, with a reading above 50.0 suggesting expansion in factory output. This was slightly better than June’s reading of 50.9 and was better than analysts’ expectations, with […]

ASIA: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers on Thursday that the “tide is turning” on China, as the US has led the push to ramp up international pressure on the Communist regime on issues from property theft to international surveillance to the Chinese crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong. China warned on Thursday […]

COMMENT: Hope all is well We as farmers are paying a price as our pm is bad-mouthing the Chinese. We, Australian farmers, have had a rough deal over the last 30 years because we lost $12 /ton on the Iraq debt, the UN destroyed our AUST WHEAT BOARD SHARE PRICE OVER WHAT SALES TO SADDAM HUSSEIN […]

ASIA: China on Wednesday expressed its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to smears against China on a series of issues by the US and Australia, and has lodged solemn representations with them, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for Chinese Foreign Ministry said at a press briefing. Wang’s remarks came after the US Secretary of State Mike […]

ASIA: China has said Hong Kong will suspend extradition treaties with Britain, Canada, and Australia after they took similar steps over the territory’s controversial new security law. The Foreign Ministry spokesman accused the countries of “gross interference in China’s internal affairs.” Earlier this month, US lawmakers approved sanctions in response to the law, targeting banks […]

ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 decreased 35.76 points or -0.16% to 22,715.85 Shanghai increased 8.46 points or 0.26% to 3,205.23 Hang Seng decreased 102.07 points or -0.41% to 24,603.26 ASX 200 increased 20.20 points or 0.34% to 6,044.20 Kospi increased 17.42 points or 0.79% to 2,217.86 SENSEX […]