MACRO ECONOMIC NEWS

WISHING A DAY OF GRATEFULNESS FOR DIVINE IDEAS, INSPIRATIONS AND BLESSINGS

Macro Economic News 02 Jan 2019

 

Trump signals interest in ending the U.S. government shutdown stalemate, China and North Korea set out their stalls for 2019 and Asian stocks kick off the year on a cautious note. Asian stocks look set to kick off 2019 on a muted note, with a holiday in Japan likely to dampen volumes, after global stocks finished their worst year since the financial crisis. In a dismal year that saw bear markets from Japan to Germany, crude slumped to its first annual loss since 2015 while gold barreled into 2019 near a six-month high on haven demand. Later this week, investors may focus on Friday’s U.S. December jobs report and the annual meeting of the American Economic Association, where U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell will be interviewed with predecessors Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke.

 

FINANCIAL TIMES

[I]  Polish PM predicts changes for Brussels after EU elections

[I]  Chinese retailers refuse cash as mobile payments take off

[I]  Brexit ‘bad or awful’ for prospects in 2019, say economists

[I]  India eyes Chinese commodities gap left by trade war

[I]  Ireland expands diplomatic footprint as Brexit looms

[I]  S Korea exports hit by cooling demand from China

[I]  Romania takes EU helm amid rule of law fears

[I]  Global investors sidestep new Indian bankruptcy rules

 

REUTERS

[I]  RBI to allow banks to restructure some defaulting small business loans 

[I]  China will never yield on core national interests: People's Daily

[I]  Australian home prices mark worst year since 2008

[I]  India cuts tax on palm oil imports; Malaysia to gain most

[I]  U.S. companies repatriate over half a trillion dollars in 2018, but pace slows

 

BLOOMBERG 

[I]  Singapore Home Prices Post First Drop in Six Quarters

[I]  Even After a $46 Billion Plunge, China's Drugmakers May Have a Long Way to Fall

[I]  Italian Populist Luigi Di Maio Promises to Cut Pay for Lawmakers

[I]  Iran Banking Reform Blocked for Second Time by Clerical Council

[I]  Asia Dollar Bond Demand Seen Reviving After Rocky Quarter

[I]  Singapore's Export-Reliant Economy Ends 2018 on Slower Note

[I]  Sydney Housing Slump to Deepen as Prices Drop Most Since 1980s

[I]  Iran to Double Down on Investment in Oil's Growth Engine India

[I]  India Floats First Tender to Build Solar Projects in Kashmir

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL

[I]  Individual Investors Try Not to Panic Over Big Market Gyrations

[I]  As Government Shutdown Continues, Workers’ Worries—and Bills—Grow

[I]  What Is and Isn’t Affected by the Shutdown

[I]  To Woo Millennials, Atlanta Considers Covering Highways With Parks

[I]  U.S. Economy Fuels Boom in Consumer Debt

[I]  One Year Later, Benefits From Corporate Tax Cut Seem Muted

[I]  Consumers on Firm Footing, Businesses Wary as 2019 Nears

 

BUSINESS LINE

[I]  SEBI tweaks derivative rules to ‘deliver’ knockout punch on punters

[I]  Price, not distance, will be the key for crude oil purchases from US

[I]  Clogged credit is biggest pain point

[I]  Tight liquidity, poor sentiment slow auto makers in December

[I]  RBI shelves plan to launch digital currency

[I]  What we need is fewer schemes with adequate funding: FISME

[I]  Hotel rooms may cost 3-4% more in 2019 on supply lag

[I]  Now, AI & ML turn matchmakers for professionals

 

ECONOMIC TIMES

[I]  Rupee begins 2019 on a high, jumps 34 paise

[I]  Milk prices set to go up this year

[I]  GST mop-up drops to Rs 94,700 crore in December

[I]  India remains fastest growing economy ahead of China despite up/downs

[I]  Maharashtra agency seeks cut in Ayushman Bharat premium

[I]  FSSAI to focus on enforcement of food standards in 2019

[I]  View: 8 things India must do in 2019 to tide over economic challenges

 

BUSINESS STANDARD

[I]  RBI allows one-time restructuring of MSME loans of up to Rs 25 crore

[I]  Passenger vehicle sales dip in December on weak sentiment, unsold stock

[I]  What lies ahead for banking, realty sectors in 2019? Here's what CEOs say

[I]  8 months on, few takers for Russia trade corridor developed by India

[I]  Real-time price, demand forecast for select crops from next kharif season

[I]  SMEs getting training from IISc centre to reach out to end-customers

[I]  From financials to people issues, 2019 may well be the year of reckoning

 

MARKETS (08:00 am)

[I]  SGX NIFTY Fut: 10927;  USDINR DGCX: 69.7500;  DJIA Mini: 23159;  FTSE 100 Fut: 6614;  NIKKEI 225 Fut: 19900;  EUR-USD: 1.1444; Crude Oil (WTI): 45.29;  Gold (Spot): 1282

 

Best Regards, ARBIND

02 Jan 2019