Economics

Several developments took place while US markets were closed for its Labor Day holiday.  Most of the economic news was favorable.  This included a strong snap back in the UK service PMI,  more evidence that the moral suasion campaign to...

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid an official visit to the United States at the invitation of outgoing US President Barack Obama from 31 July to 5 August 2016. Apart from the symbolic significance of the trip — which...

The last two weeks have been about the US.  First, it was Jackson Hole. The leadership of the Federal Reserve, Yellen, Dudley and Fischer sang from the same songbook. They all signaled that the time was approaching to take another...

The US dollar showed an unexpected resiliency to the disappointing August employment data.  The dollar's resilience in the face of the jobs data may reflect that many see the report did not alter investors' or policymakers' information set.  It did not...

  On Labor Day, politicians have traditionally paid lip service to the plight of the worker, whom the national holiday is meant to honor. With working-class struggles taking center stage in this year’s election, we will likely hear from them...

  It seems that the world has become unsafe for trade agreements. In particular, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a major new trade deal among the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations, has become a political lightning rod for both the...

The US grew 151k jobs last month and when coupled with the 20k upward revision to the July figure the net job creation is not far from the 170k-180k median expectation.  However, the details were more disappointing.  Average hourly earnings...

The US dollar is little changed ahead of the job report.  Our near-term bias is for a lower dollar.   Sterling is flat and is holding on to about a 1% gain this week.  The Japanese yen is about a 0.3%...

Globalisation has contributed to the growth of China for decades but the rise of protectionism in Western economies could curb Chinese trade and investment. Globalisation has contributed to the growth of China for decades but the rise of protectionism in...

Hugh White’s views on the dangers of the United States moving to a ‘No First Use’ nuclear posture are inherently unpersuasive. The virtues of a ‘No First Use’ policy have been crisply spelled out by Ramesh Thakur, for instance, in...

As China assumes G20 leadership, the prospect of global “protectionism” is on the rise and the stakes could not be higher for cooperation and major structural reforms. Without continued investment and trade, secular stagnation in advanced economies and growth deceleration...

The US dollar is a little softer against most of the major and emerging market currencies.  The exception is the Japanese yen, where the greenback has moved above JPY103 for the first time in a month.  The tone is consolidative...

  The world changed after the financial crisis in 2008. What lessons can we draw on the role of central banks since then? There are at least four lessons we have learned.     The world changed after the financial...

Concern over the employment consequences of globalisation is again driving political debate. Look no further than the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union and the rise of protectionism in American and Australian politics to see the disenfranchisement of low-skill...

The market recognizes that the indication by the FOMC at the end of last year that four rates hikes in 2016 may be appropriate was far from the mark.  At the same time, investors are coming around to the prospects...