Markets Archives - Page 461 of 782

Indonesian Economy Makes Marginal Improvement

The Indonesian economy continues to stagnate amid low commodity prices and slow domestic demand, according to Bloomberg. GDP growth came in at 4.73 percent from July to September, missing analyst expectations by a slight margin.

President Joko Widodo struggles to improve the economy, especially as the world economy slumps and domestic investment plummets. Government officials’ project that growth will be in the range of 5.0 percent for 2015, but Indonesia will post the slowest rate of growth since the 2008 crisis.

Oil Stocks not Going the Way of the Dodo Yet

Are oil and gas companies going the way of big tobacco? Not soon, it would seem. The UK stock market counts Royal Dutch Shell and BP in its top five stocks by market value. In the US, Exxon vies with Apple for the top slot. But as campaigns persuading investors to sell fossil fuel holdings, land glancing – if not, killer – blows, it is worth considering their managed decline.

Indonesian Diplomacy Uses ASEAN to Gain Some Leverage

Since President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) took office, he has been clear and consistent in explaining his foreign policy priorities, enunciating the principle of putting ‘national interest’ first. Putting national interest first is to be expected in a leader’s foreign policy. What has been notable is the way that Jokowi has defined ‘national interest’. Put simply, Indonesia’s policy has shifted from one based on values to one based on economics.

Inflation Ticks Upwards, Housing Improves in U.S.

Indications of quickening inflation and improvements in the housing market indicate the U.S. economy is continuing to improve.

The Consumer Price Index rose 0.2% in October according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported the same seasonally adjusted CPI for urban consumers.

Britain Ups its Craft Beer Game

The traditional worldview of the British pint is of something warm, flat, and rather unpleasant. However, the recent signing of a multi-million-pound deal to supply barley to China underlines the extraordinarily far-reaching esteem in which the world holds the British brewing industry.

A Lenient EU May Become More So

The EU is warning that Austria, Italy, and Lithuania are at risk of not achieving their 2016 budget goals. It also warned Spain that is too might miss its target. Nevertheless, the EU said there were no serious violations.

The Rise of Filipino Federalism

Federalism is a buzzword in the Philippines these days. A former chief justice of the Supreme Court, Reynato Puno, recently launched a highly publicised national renewal movement, Bagong Sistema, Bagong Pag-asa (New System, New Hope), calling for a change in the 1987 Constitution through a constitutional convention. The target is to ratify a new constitution by 2018 and hold elections for a new government in May 2019.

The Emerging Market Space Remains Soft

EM starts the week on a soft footing. The repercussions of the attacks in Paris are still unclear, but the dollar’s rise against the majors continues and is likely to keep it bid against EM currencies as well. Equity markets continue to slide, albeit at a modest pace.

Amidst Terror Attack, ECB Acknowledges Political Schisms in EU

After a terror attack on Paris stunned the world, the European Central Bank has acknowledged political and cultural schisms are rising tensions throughout the European Union.

Micro-businesses May Not Solve Africa’s Macro Problems

People leave Africa for a number of different reasons. Persecution, compulsory military service, war, and turmoil are the headline causes. However, just as important are the lack of opportunities for employment for young people and poor welfare conditions.

Unfortunately, an approach defined at the summit of EU and African leaders in Malta does not focus enough on tackling these root causes of the current rates of migration into Europe from Africa – it merely treats some of the symptoms.