TESTY RELATIONS China just concluded its closed-door annual meeting of parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), with top officials making clear that employment is the top priority.Fiscal stimulus worth more than 4% of GDP has been commissioned, primarily to boost jobs and incomes, but [...]

VACCINE RACE U.S. President Donald Trump has put his faith in anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to ward off COVID-19, but governments and investors are focusing on a vaccine. Without one, it's unlikely economic activity can resume fully. So the race is on, and the [...]

SUB-ZERO Love them or loathe them, negative interest rates are back in the spotlight as ammunition-depleted central banks debate the pros and cons of going down the unorthodox route already trodden by the BOJ and ECB. The Federal Reserve has so far brushed [...]

THIRD LAW OF TARIFFS China's exports rebound has been quickly overshadowed by dire predictions of Trade War II between the world's two biggest economies. Markets are hoping Donald Trump's threats to penalise China for COVID-19 are pandering to Americans' fear of China during an [...]

MAY DAY FOR CHINA China has headed off on Labour Day holidays but its leaders won't be resting easy. U.S. President Donald Trump has ratcheted up anti-China rhetoric again. He is threatening trade tariffs to punish Beijing for its alleged failure [...]

A BATTLE FAR FROM WON The European Central Bank is set to spend just over a trillion euros on asset purchases this year alone, has eased its rules on what it can buy and when, and has stepped up supportive measures for banks [...]

TESTING TIMES It’s going to be a big week for the euro zone. Italy’s bond yields are drifting higher, concerns are growing about its debt ratios and anti-euro sentiment is rising in bloc’s third-biggest economy. The European Central Bank calmed markets [...]

LOOKING TO CHINA The world's biggest economy won't be open for business by Easter, as U.S. President Donald Trump had hoped, but the second biggest economy may come close. How China fares offers a guide to other countries when their coronavirus [...]

GIVE NO QUARTER Few will regret the end of the first 2020 quarter. Fears of a U.S.-Iran war gave way to the coronavirus pandemic which JPMorgan reckons will have pushed the world economy into a 12% contraction over January to March. [...]

KING DOLLAR The dollar juggernaut rolls on. The U.S. currency has rocketed to a near three-year high versus the euro EUR=, a 10-month high against the yen and an 11-year peak versus the Aussie. This month alone it's added 2.5% against [...]