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When the Night Lights Go On in Asia
September 24, 2019--It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The value of a picture taken from space is a new metric we can use to measure economic growth and activity.
The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in economists' use of satellite images of the earth at night. These "night lights", as they are called, help study a wide variety of topics, ranging from growth and development to poverty and inequality, particularly in places where economic data are scarce and unreliable. Night lights reveal both the remote corners of our world in new detail and how they change over time.
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Source: IMF
The tricky link between the Hong Kong dollar and capital flows
September 13, 2019--The Hong Kong economy has been hit by a series of shocks, but it should resist taking drastic measures to keep foreign capital in the city.
Hong Kong is a very special financial centre. First, it is highly dependent on Chinese financial intermediaries and corporates. Second, its currency is pegged to the US dollar through one of the tightest monetary arrangements, namely a currency board.
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Source: bruegel.org
Australian economic growth hits 10-year low
September 3, 2019--The Australian economy has recorded its weakest annual growth in a decade, official data released Wednesday showed, expanding just 1.4 percent in the year to June.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported the economy grew 0.4 percent between April and June compared with the previous quarter, a small increase driven by mining exports and government spending.
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Source: ibtimes.com
China's renminbi is headed for its biggest ever monthly drop-and economists warn other currencies will suffer
August 30, 2019--China's yuan (also called the renminbi) is headed for it's biggest monthly drop on record.
A lower-valued currency makes Chinese goods cheaper to export.
It's a battleground issue in the trade spat between the US and China.
Economists are now warning that the currency may go down even more, and the risk of contagion to emerging markets is rising. Argentina, Brazil, and Turkey's currencies could all be at risk.
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Source: businessinsider.com
India to merge state banks amid concern over economic slowdown
August 30, 2019--India plans to merge a number of state banks as the government looks for fresh ways to battle a grinding economic slowdown. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday that the government would merge 10 existing banks into four entities.
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Source: FT.com
China's Potential New Trade Weapon: Corporate Social Credits
August 27, 2019--Program will reward or punish companies for their behavior, but foreigners worry Beijing will use it to impose political orthodoxy on international firms
After five years, China is putting the finishing touches on a sweeping new system to punish and reward companies for their corporate behavior. But foreigners worry that, amid the continuing U.S.-China trade dispute, Beijing will use its new corporate "social credit" system as a weapon against international businesses.
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Source: WSJ.com
IMF Staff Country Report-People's Republic of China: Selected Issues
August 23, 2019--THE DRIVERS, IMPLICATIONS AND OUTLOOK FOR CHINA'S SHRINKING CURRENT ACCOUNT SURPLUS1
China's current account surplus has declined significantly from its peak in 2008 and the external position is
now in line with medium-term fundamentals and desirable policies.
While cyclical factors helped in 2018, the trend decline has been largely structural, driven by rebalancing, appreciation of the REER towards
equilibrium, increase in outbound tourism, and moderation in goods surplus reflecting market saturation and China's faster growth compared with trading partners. Policies should focus on continued rebalancing and opening up to ensure excessive surpluses do not return; and to prepare the economy and the financial system to handle more volatile capital flows.
view the IMF Staff Country Report-People's Republic of China: Selected Issues
Source: IMF
Investors pull $2.9bn from funds investing in China
August 20, 2019--Outflows rise amid concerns about Chinese economic growth and trade war with US
Investors pulled $2.9bn from funds that invest in China's stock market in the month ending last Wednesday, as concerns over economic growth and tariffs weighed on Chinese shares.
The outflows from mutual funds and exchange traded funds that invest in China's A-shares market were the sharpest since the start of 2017.
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Source: FT.com
Japan surpasses China as largest foreign holder of US Treasurys
August 15, 2019--Japan surpassed China as the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasurys in June.
Japan has $1.12 trillion Treasury securities, and China, $1.11 trillion.
Japan surpassed China as the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury securities in June.
Japan has added about $21 billion since May, making its holdings the largest since October, 2016. Japan now holds $1.12 trillion Treasurys, and China has $1.11 trillion, a $2 billion increase from the month earlier, according to U.S. Treasury department data.
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Source: CNBC.com
Renminbi drop helps push Chinese into bitcoin, say traders
August 14, 2019--Trading volumes rise sharply after the People's Bank of China allows currency to drop.
A recent run-up in the price of bitcoin has been attributed to many factors: aggressive monetary easing by central banks, plans by Facebook to develop its own digital tokens, and market manipulation via Tether, another crypto asset.
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Source: FT.com