The risks and opportunities of doing business with China December 11, 2018 Few doubt the enormous opportunity that exists in doing business with China, particularly as the country’s external business and foreign policy, namely the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), continues to drive economic development around the globe. However, this opportunity also brings with it very real challenges. And whether an opportunity blossoms into a round of [...]
Truce or dare: A Trump stunt, or the end of the US-China trade war? November 6, 2018 Last Thursday, Donald Trump took to Twitter to tell the world that trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping were “moving along nicely”. His words prompted a rise in Asian stock markets; the Shanghai Composite index climbed by almost 2.7 per cent during trading on Friday, and the Hang Seng surged by about 4.2 per cent, [...]
Chinese currency transactions in London soar 30 per cent in second quarter September 26, 2018 Chinese currency transactions in London increased by more than 30 per cent this year, hitting £70bn in the second quarter. The capital retained its position as the largest renminbi (RMB) clearing centre outside of Greater China, according to a report by City of London Corporation and the People's Bank of China. Read more: China accuses US of [...]
Asian markets soar, as Nikkei posts biggest one-day gain in seven years September 9, 2015 Asian markets soared this morning, and the Nikkei index topped the lot. Closing 7.71 per cent higher at 18,771 points, Japan's key index made its biggest one-day gain since 2008, when wild volatility hit markets. The Topix also made a big jump, going up 6.4 per cent to 1,507 points. Read more: Chinese dragon [...]
Where to invest following stock market carnage: Europe and China top the experts’ buy lists September 9, 2015 Global stock markets took a battering this summer. At one point, nearly $2 trillion had been wiped off the value of shares across markets as diverse as Germany, China, the US and Argentina. The falls were trigged by worries over the state of China’s economy. Although Chinese companies make up only a small part [...]
Chinese economy: China’s economic outlook remains poor as imports fall 14.3 per cent September 8, 2015 It looks like we haven't seen the end of weak data from China, after new data revealed both imports and exports fell in August. China’s imports in August fell 14.3 per cent in yuan-denominated terms from last year, against an 8.6 per cent decline in July – the figure's 10th consecutive decline in imports. Meanwhile, while [...]
Chinese dragon needs to regain its fire: Falling competitiveness could be the hidden force behind the slowdown September 8, 2015 China's unravelling has had repercussions all over the world, from the $3 trillion (£1.96 trillion) wiped off global stock markets in the space of days, to fears of deflation in the UK and currency devaluations in places as distinct as Vietnam and Kazakhstan. The Shanghai stock market – which is down 40 per cent [...]
Chinese economic slowdown: The bull market has further to run, but there may be better value outside equities – CNBC Comment September 8, 2015 Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the recent correction in stock markets was hardly surprising. Even its extent and volatility were not totally absurd when you take account of a few crucial factors. The most relevant factor is that this all occurred in the summer when volumes are thinnest. Moves were therefore larger and [...]
European stocks show resilience to China market fall September 7, 2015 European markets went up today, showing resilience to yet another decline on China's key index. The FTSE 100 closed 0.5 per cent higher at £60.75, while the Germany's Dax and France's Cac 40 rose 0.7 per cent and 0.6 per cent, respectively. Read more: China's stock market turmoil could spell bad news for London [...]
China’s real crisis: It may never become a rich country September 6, 2015 I thought I smelled a rat. As I have often told my European colleagues – fond as they are of conspiracy theories about American foreign policy – they have the wrong Shakespeare play in mind: America is more Hamlet than Macbeth. By that I mean that, whereas outsiders to the policy world often assume great [...]