MACRO ECONOMIC NEWS

GOD HAS SENT US AS A TRAVELLER TO THIS PLANET TO EXPLORE AND ENJOY LIFE. WISH, TODAY WE EXPLORE THE BIGGER SENSE.

Macro Economic News 18 Feb 2019

 

Inflation moderated across the board in China last month in another sign of lethargic domestic demand—one that economists said gives the central bank more room to stimulate economic growth. Japan and Germany avoided slipping into recession as 2018 drew to a close, but the world’s third- and fourth-largest economies seem set for a year of weak growth amid uncertainty about global trade. Economic data are usually noisy, but this week included an onslaught of negative and often contradictory signals that made even seasoned economists scratch their heads. U.S. industrial output fell sharply in January, primarily driven by a large drop in vehicle production. As the national debt rises, some economists are making a once-heretical argument: The U.S. needn’t be so worried about all of its red ink. Negotiators made progress on a memorandum of understanding that could serve as the basis for a deal that President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping could later finalize.

 

FINANCIAL TIMES

[I]  German arms ban to Riyadh sparks UK concerns

[I]  Australian coal industry jolted by ‘climate change’ mine ruling

[I]  UK-Japan trade talks sour after ministers’ letter

[I]  Surge in US economists’ support for carbon tax to tackle emissions

[I]  China seeks to curb abuses by ‘bad loan’ banks

[I]  China’s new trade offer is better than a tariff war

 

REUTERS

[I]  Oil hits three-month high on OPEC cuts, U.S. sanctions on Iran, Venezuela

[I]  Venezuela denies EU lawmakers entry given 'conspiratorial motives'

[I]  Cash-hoarding Japanese firms please investors as share buybacks hit record

[I]  Australia says foreign government behind cyber attack on lawmakers

[I]  Japan's machinery orders slump as trade frictions bite

[I]  UK businesses plan to raise pay by most since 2012: CIPD

[I]  UK's May to speak to every EU head in bid for Brexit deal changes

[I]  India's January trade deficit widens, slow exports growth a concern

[I]  Fed policymakers see one U.S. rate hike, or none, as growth slows

 

BLOOMBERG 

[I]  Thailand's Economic Growth Accelerates in Fourth Quarter

[I]  Australia Says a ‘Sophisticated State Actor’ Hacked Lawmakers

[I]  Japan's Abe Declines to Say If He Backed Trump for Nobel Prize

[I]  U.K. Lawmakers Recommend Harsher Penalties For Tech Companies

[I]  ECB Eyes Data as Slowdown Proves ‘Significant,’ Villeroy Says

[I]  Bankers Are Sick of Choosing Sides Between Qatar and Saudi Arabia

[I]  Pound Shows Signs of Creaking Under Weight of a No-Deal Brexit

[I]  Thailand's Economic Growth Accelerates in Fourth Quarter

[I]  Dovish Central Bankers, ECB Eyes Slowdown, U.S. Growth: Eco Day

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL

[I]  Worry About Debt? Not So Fast, Some Economists Say

[I]  Global Economy Week Ahead

[I]  Chinese, U.S. Trade Negotiators Inch Toward a Broad Agreement

[I]  Contradictory Data Confound Economists

[I]  New Tariffs Threaten to Boost Prices of Imported Cars, Parts

[I]  Factory Output Contracts Unexpectedly in January

[I]  China’s Muted Inflation Likely to Spur Policy Easing

[I]  Trade Friction Stymies Growth in Germany and Japan

 

BUSINESS LINE

[I]  Earnings of India Inc take a beating in Q3

[I]  Bankers suggest measures for quick resolution of IBC cases

[I]  In yet another attempt, Govt tries to make hydrocarbon hunting more attractive

[I]  AAR: No GST on merger of firm as going-concern with a company

[I]  Exporters seek govt support to offset losses in case US withdraws GSP benefit

 

ECONOMIC TIMES

[I]  India Inc logs double-digit topline growth

[I]  Import duty hike may not hamper India-Pak cotton trade

[I]  India to curb tea exports to Pak

[I]  Oil hits 3-month high on OPEC cuts, US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela

[I]  First time in FY19, RBI becomes net buyer of dollars in December

[I]  Gold imports dip 5% during April-January to $26.93 billion

[I]  Warehousing may pull in $10 billion in next 4-5 years

[I]  FIEO suggests series of measures to boost exports

 

BUSINESS STANDARD

[I]  Irdai warns domestic insurers against 'shadow capital' from rogue brokers

[I]  RBI working on strict, clear-cut clawback triggers for bank CEO pay

[I]  Infrastructure companies eye litigation funding to settle claims

[I]  Liquidity likely to remain constrained till March-end: Ficci survey

[I]  Joblessness among educated, skilled rose sharply, shows NSSO survey

[I]  Govt's disinvestment proceeds touch Rs 53,558 crore in current fiscal year

[I]  PSUs join tech firms in buyback spree to help govt meet asset sale target

 

MARKETS (09:00 am)

[I]  SGX NIFTY Fut: 10777;  USDINR DGCX: 71.4600;  DJIA Mini: 25923;  FTSE 100 Fut: 7199;  NIKKEI 225 Fut: 21273;  EUR-USD: 1.1318; Crude Oil (WTI): 55.83;  Gold (Spot): 1325

 

Best Regards, ARBIND

18 Feb 2019