ASIA: President Trump tweeted today that China has let us (the U.S.) down by not purchasing American agricultural products as promised. This could impact the possibility of an amicable trade agreement. The positive reports indicating progress seem to have no positive end goal. Trump concluded his tweet with “hope they will soon,” a more optimistic […]

ASIA: Russia reported that China has announced plans to open six new free zones as an attempt to open up its economy (with external pressure to do so). China also announced that they will expand the existing Shanghai free zone. Spokesperson Gao Feng said, “China has been opening up more sectors of the economy as […]

QUESTION: Hi Marty, Happy 4th July to you & your team. My question is: Have the Central Banks now created an asymmetric trade (free bet!) with respect to the stock market? It appears they cannot let any market fall. Sincerely, Alan ANSWER: I understand many people always look for some party to blame for a […]

Market Talk – July 9, 2019 ASIA: The U.S. approved a 2.2 bn USD sale of arms to Taiwan, despite China forewarning them not to do so. China is now demanding that the U.S. cancels the deal, calling the U.S. actions a “crude interference” and further stating that it is harming its sovereignty. Elsewhere, U.S. […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: China responded to the UK’s criticism of its handling of Hong Kong by telling them that they should not interfere in “domestic affairs.” The UK’s Foreign Secretary tweeted full support for the Hong Kong citizens right for a peaceful protest. In addition, he told China that the way good relations are maintained […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: The government of China has told Hong Kong the actions of the protesters who stormed and vandalized Hong Kong’s legislature was “totally intolerable.” Meanwhile, the UK has warned China that serious consequences will occur if it breaches an agreement guaranteeing freedoms in the city. Regarding the US-China trade deal, Peter Navarro, a […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: President Trump applauded Prime Minister Abe of Japan saying how excellent the G20 meeting was and mentioning that no mistakes were made. During the weekend he and President Xi met and have agreed to resume negotiations with no further tariffs applied – calling the progress of the talks as “fairly advanced.” This […]

QUESTION: Martin: You have occasionally made short-quick comments that have made me loose sleep ! One of your past comments quipped that we equity/bond investors should entertain the idea of having the actual certificates to our stock/bond investments (which are typically digital entries held at brokerage houses) mailed directly to us instead of having them […]

ASIA / AUSTRALIA: The G20 is set up to be interesting, as the US negotiators describe Chinese officials tone as negative. Tomorrow, the two heads of states are due to meet. President Trump was a bit more optimistic stating, “At a minimum, it will be productive,” referring to his meeting tomorrow with Chinese President Xi. […]

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 […]