ASIA:   The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 decreased 175.24 points or -0.55% to 31,450.76 Shanghai decreased 31.79 points or -1.00% to 3,131.95 Hang Seng decreased 375.78 points or -2.05% to 17,950.85 ASX 200 increased 2.10 points or 0.03% to 7,148.10 Kospi decreased 15.35 points or -0.61% to 2,504.50 […]

The international age limitation on military drafts is generally 18 years or older. Canada and Australia put it at 17 years old. Zelensky has imposed two decrees which prohibit the departure of teenagers aged 16-17 from the country, effectively turning Ukraine into a prison camp. Over 8 million Ukrainians have fled from this tyrant. He […]

  ASIA:   Meeting China’s annual economic targets is not optional, Premier Li Qiang said, with a strong message calling for increased resources and policy coordination. During a State Council meeting on Wednesday, Li stressed the need to expand domestic demand, boost private enterprise, attract foreign investment and build a modernized industrial system as China […]

COMMENT: Not only has Oliver Anthony’s songs gone viral here (NA) but also in China. Messages indicate that any kind of attempt to reference/share to his songs is now banned across WeChat. Apparently, there is a cleverly-worded Mandarin “rap version” circulating. So the emotions appear to be universal and now…possibly something like “star spangled banner” […]

ASIA:   The People’s Bank of China has reduced interest rates for medium-term lending and reverse repos, with a 15 basis point decrease for MLF (now 2.5%) and a 10 basis point decrease for reverse repos (now 1.8%). This move aims to counter the effects of the tax payment peak and maintain reasonable banking system […]

ASIA:   China’s July data fell short of expectations, with retail sales only rising 2.5% from a year ago, industrial production increasing by 3.7%, and fixed asset investment growing by 3.4% for the first seven months of the year. The urban unemployment rate edged up to 5.3%. Notably, the report didn’t include the youth unemployment […]

  ASIA:   The major Asian stock markets had a negative day today: NIKKEI 225 closed Shanghai decreased 65.31 points or -2.01% to 3,189.25 Hang Seng decreased 173.07 points or -0.90% to 19,075.19 ASX 200 decreased 17.30 points or -0.24% to 7,340.10 Kospi decreased 10.30 points or -0.40% to 2,591.26 SENSEX decreased 363.53 points or […]

ASIA:   President Joe Biden has signed an executive order to limit new U.S. investments in China’s sensitive technology areas such as computer chips. The order also mandates government notification for investments in other tech sectors. It permits the U.S. Treasury secretary to control American investments in Chinese entities related to semiconductors, quantum tech, and […]

ASIA:   The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 decreased 172.96 points or -0.53% to 32,204.33 Shanghai decreased 16.13 points or -0.49% to 3,244.49 Hang Seng increased 61.86 points or 0.32% to 19,246.03 ASX 200 increased 26.90 points or 0.37% to 7,338.00 Kospi increased 31.14 points or 1.21% to 2,605.12 […]

ASIA:   Stripe, a US-based payments processor, has released a report discussing how digital trade is reshaping the global economy and how businesses are responding. The report is based on transaction data from Stripe’s platform and surveys of business leaders and consumers across nine countries. It highlights how technology is diversifying international trade routes and […]