Category: Markets

The Singapore Economy Drops Expansion Prediction to 3.3% this Year


The figure predicted for Singapore’s economy has dropped from 3.8% to 3.3% in the recent survey, after figures showed that the GDP growth expected for the second quarter had not achieved its target. The news has left many economists in the private sector with confidence issues relating to the outlook for Singapore’s economy this year. According to a quarterly survey, the growth expectations have had to be altered significantly for all aspects of the economy.

U.S. Dollar Strength and its Impact on International Trade


With the ECB meeting and US jobs data the key events of the week, it is understandable the August US trade balance, due out Friday, is not drawing much attention.   However, the combination of the growth differentials, favoring the US, and the strong dollar lead to some concerns that trade will act as a drag on GDP.

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Categorized as Markets

British Music Industry Boosts the UK Economy by £3.8bn


Recently published statistics have shown that the British Music Industry is starting to become more valuable to the UK economy. In 2013, an annual trade report showed an increase of 9% in the sector in comparison to the previous year. As a result, lobbyists have begun to call for a stronger framework for a national copyright.

The overall increase has been traced to various individual revenues gathered by UK-based:

* Singers

* Musicians

* Songwriters

* Composers

* Lyricists

Economists Raise U.S. Employment Expectations on Strong GDP Data


Analysts at two investment banks have raised their estimates for payrolls and wages in two notes released after the U.S. revised upwards their measurements for second quarter GDP.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis announced on Friday that U.S. Gross Domestic Product rose 4.6% in the second quarter, up from prior estimate of a 4.2% growth in GDP. The report said that export growth, greater private inventory investment, and accelerations in nonresidential fixed investments, helped bolster U.S. growth, while imports accelerated in a symbol of growing domestic demand.

The American Dream From Modi’s View


Before his election to India’s prime ministership, Narendra Modi was persona non grata in the United States because of his alleged complicity in the ethnic violence in Gujarat of 2002 in which 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus died, 2500 people were injured, and 223 more were reported missing. Though a subsequent Indian Supreme Court investigation in 2012 cleared him of complicity in the violence, Modi was still banned from entering the United States, a decision taken by the previous US administration but not lifted by Obama until after Modi’s election.

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Categorized as India

How Resilient is China’s Economy?


At the moment, there is some confusion about the health of the Chinese economy. Some believe that it is beginning to stagnate, while others suggest that the economy is flowing better than ever before. Currently, the official data being released is largely distrusted (kind of sounds like what many Americans believe when it comes to the IRS, EPA, and White House), and a developing database of alternative indicators are beginning to offer new ways of understanding the development of the second largest economy in the world.

Soft Durable Orders, Scared U.S. Consumers Summon Hibernating Bears


Durable orders fell 18.2% in August, causing a large stock selloff in the United States as weak consumer confidence signals a decline in aggregate demand could drag down economic growth.

The Commerce Department announced a plunge in August’s durable goods orders after seeing those same orders rise 22.5% in July, signaling growing uncertainty amongst retailers and manufacturers. The volatility in durable goods data is unusual, and may indicate conflicting views about how strong America’s economic recovery has been.

Can India’s Manufacturing Sector Grow Under the Current Government?


Increasing the GDP growth rate will be a major task for India’s new government. GDP growth will be critical for eradicating poverty and improving the living standards of India’s population. The economy also faces the daunting challenge of providing employment opportunities to about a million people being added to the job market every month. Rapid expansion of the industrial base of the country through labour intensive manufacturing appears to be the perfect solution to the country’s problems.

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Categorized as India

Tax Rules, Slowdown Signal European Monetary Collapse


Stricter rules on U.S. corporate tax dodging combined with weak European manufacturing data to cause European stocks to slide.

Economists expect the European Central Bank to double down on its asset-buying purchasing program in the short term as weak growth threatens the eurozone. Negative interest rates on European bank holdings have not been enough to encourage greater lending that in turn would encourage greater private sector growth.