ASIA: India has reported three more cases of coronavirus taking the total number of people who have tested positive in the country to six. An Italian national was tested positive for coronavirus in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. The other two cases were detected in the national capital New Delhi and the other in […]

ASIA: The chairmen of India’s biggest corporate companies lost around 7 billion USD of personal wealth combined to date in notional terms due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China and other parts of the world. Most of this wealth erosion happened over the last 15 days, when domestic equity indices have come tumbling down. BSE […]

  ASIA: The Indian government is planning a data protection bill that will require tech companies to tell users what data they are collecting and, in most cases, get consent from users to collect that data. It also imposes restrictions on what kind of data can be stored outside the country. The bill, currently making […]

COMMENT #1: Marty, Good morning. I knew you were going to get blamed for having too much “influence”. And then after emailing you about it, I see the comment in the Fake News blog this morning, just too funny! Can’t these people just try to learn why they were wrong? I always try to learn […]

ASIA: Indian refiners of edible oils led by the Solvent Extractors of India President Atul Chaturvedi urged the Indian government not to issue palm olein import licenses as any further purchases could result in a sharp drop in rapeseed prices and cut farmers’ incomes. India, the world’s biggest importer of palm oil, in a surprise […]

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; Have you been called in by the World Bank because of the coronavirus? The rumor is you are advising on this pandemic from a financial crisis perspective. Yes or no? Some say you have a financial interest in not calling this a pandemic. Care to comment? JV ANSWER: Yes, we have been […]

ASIA: President Trump has arrived today in India for a two-day visit.  He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today in his home state of Gujrat and inaugurated the world’s largest cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. Addressing a huge crowd at a “Namaste Trump” event at Motera Stadium, President Trump has outlined the success story of India […]

  We are likely to see Lebanon default on its payments in March after it has been downgraded deeper into junk bond territory by two of the three biggest credit rating companies on Friday. S&P Global Ratings cut the country’s long-term foreign currency rating to CC, which followed Moody’s Investors Service cut to Ca earlier […]

  ASIA: China ‘s powerful State Council has decided to waive some business contributions to social insurance plans through June, and emphasized that “stable employment” must be a priority. The policy moves also come as the country begins a gradual return to work in manufacturing, technology, and other major industries. China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) […]

  ASIA: The slowdown in India’s economy has taken a toll on the savings of its citizens and that has resulted in the country’s savings rate falling to a 15-year low. India’s gross savings fell to 30.1% of the GDP in 2018-19 from 34.6% in 2011-12 and 36% in 2007-08. The previous low was 29% […]