ASIA:   China’s annual consumer inflation rate accelerated in December, driven by rising food prices even as domestic demand wavered amid restrained economic activity. The consumer price index (CPI) in December was 1.8% higher than a year earlier, rising faster than the 1.6% annual gain seen in November, data from the National Bureau of Statistics […]

ASIA:   China’s central bank continued to inject funds into the financial system through open market operations on Wednesday. The People’s Bank of China said on its website that it has conducted 133 billion yuan ($19.67 billion) of seven-day reverse repos at an interest rate of 2 percent, and 447 billion yuan of 14-day reverse […]

ASIA: Rising home prices and rentals in large Indian cities could pose a new challenge to the country’s central bank in its fight against inflation, even though headline consumer price rises have likely peaked, analysts warn. Housing rentals and ancillary costs have a 10.07% weightage in India’s consumer price inflation basket and are near three-year […]

The NYSE will close on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Day. Market Talk will resume again on Tuesday, January 16. ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 decreased 330.30 points or -1.25% to 26,119.52 Shanghai increased 31.85 points or 1.01% to 3,195.31 Hang Seng increased 224.56 points […]

ASIA:   China’s economic growth is likely to rebound to 4.9% in 2023, before steadying in 2024, a Reuters poll showed, as policymakers pledge to step up support for the COVID-ravaged economy. Gross domestic product (GDP) likely grew just 2.8% in 2022 as lockdowns weighed on activity and confidence, according to the median forecasts of […]

  ASIA:   A World Bank report has projected India’s economy to grow 6.9 percent in FY23, much lower than the 8.7 percent growth achieved by the country in the previous financial year. “Growth in India is projected to slow from 8.7 percent in FY2021/22 to 6.9 percent in FY2022/23, the latter revised 0.6 percentage […]

ASIA:   China suspended issuing short-term visas in South Korea and Japan on Tuesday, after announcing it would retaliate against countries that required negative COVID-19 tests from Chinese travelers. In the first retaliatory move, the Chinese embassy in South Korea suspended issuing short-term visas for South Korean visitors. It would adjust the policy subject to […]

ASIA:   The Bank of Japan is considering revising its inflation forecasts upward, sources familiar with the central bank’s thinking said Friday, in a move that could fuel market speculation that the BOJ is set to shift away from its aggressive monetary easing. The revisions would include raising its core consumer inflation outlook for fiscal […]

ASIA:   Japan’s core consumer inflation hit a fresh four-decade high as companies continued to pass on rising costs to households, data showed, a sign price hikes were broadening and could keep the central bank under pressure to whittle down massive stimulus. Japan’s core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food but includes energy […]

During the reign of King George III (1760–1820) the first issue of halfpennies actually was not issued until 10 years after his accession to the throne in 1770. Consequently, the vast number of halfpennies in circulation were actually all counterfeits. Indeed, counterfeiting became rampant at first because there was a coin shortage. In 1771, it […]