BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s economy saw its biggest annual contraction in 22 years and a record quarterly fall in the April-June period, as the coronavirus pandemic and restriction measures hit tourism, exports and domestic activity, prompting an outlook do... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s economy likely posted the biggest contraction in more than two decades in the second quarter, as measures taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic hit most sectors, a Reuters poll showed on Monday. The median forecast of 20 anal... More »
TAIPEI (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury’s latest semi-annual report on trade practices of its major trading partners which was due this month has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, two sources with direct knowledge at Taiwan’s central bank told Reuters... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean exports plunged nearly 27% in the first 20 days of April as the coronavirus health crisis paralyzed global manufacturing activity and crushed consumer demand. The worst may be yet to come with many of the country’s top trading pa... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte has repeated calls for the European Union to issue common euro zone bonds to demonstrate the bloc’s solidarity in tackling the coronavirus crisis. Conte said in an interview to be published in Germany... More »
CARACAS (Reuters) – A price war between world oil producers has slashed Venezuela’s revenue for its top export and exacerbated the country’s financial crisis as it also faces the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. sanctions and sliding crude output. More than 90% of V... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone economic growth slowed as expected in the last three months of 2019 as gross domestic product shrank in France and Italy against the previous quarter, but employment growth picked up more than expected, official estimates showed ... More »
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s economic growth in the fourth quarter is expected to have slowed to its weakest since mid-2016 on weaker private consumption and external demand, a Reuters poll showed. The median forecast from the poll of 13 economists was ... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s customs-cleared exports in November fell 7.39% from a year earlier, after falling 4.54% the previous month, the commerce ministry said on Monday. November’s export numbers came in worse than a Reuters poll forecast for a decrease... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – 1/AFTER PHASE ONE COMES PHASE TWO U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese officials have agreed to a “phase one” trade deal that includes cutting U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. Washington has agreed to suspend tariffs on $160 billion in Chin... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s exports rose unexpectedly in October, a morale boost for Europe’s largest economy, which has been teetering on the brink of recession over recent quarters. The 1.2% rise in exports raises hopes that the economy can avoid contractin... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s exports contracted for a 10th straight month in September, adding to speculation the central bank could ease monetary policy as soon as next week to support an economy hit by a slowdown in global demand. A bitter Sino-U.S. trade war a... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – A slide in China’s exports picked up pace in September while imports contracted for a fifth straight month, pointing to further weakness in the economy and underlining the need for more stimulus as the Sino-U.S. trade war drags on. Analysts... More »
OSLO (Reuters) – Norway on Tuesday reported it’s first monthly trade deficit in almost two years, a rare event triggered by a sharp fall in its sale of natural gas and a decline in the price of crude oil, the country’s two most important exports. The September... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – 1/TRADE TENSION HEADACHES Washington’s latest accusation that China is dumping wooden cabinets and vanities on U.S. shores sums up the mood between the two warring sides as they head into another round of high-level discussions. The talks in... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Factory activity surveys in China pointed to slight improvement in September as domestic demand picked up, but analysts believe the gains will be short-lived as the property market cools and Sino-U.S. trade tensions remain elevated. Persist... More »
BEIJING(Reuters) – China’s factory activity unexpectedly expanded at the fastest pace in 19 months in September as plants ramped up production and new orders rose, a private business survey showed on Monday, suggesting a modest recovery in the manufacturing se... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – World stocks rose for the sixth straight day on Wednesday and bond prices fell as investors continued to unwind safety bets, encouraged by hopes of a resolution to the Sino-U.S. trade standoff and signs Europe may be preparing to ease budget... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that the trade conflict between the United States and China was hitting Germany, which has traditionally relied on exports to propel its economy. “We have international uncertainty due to the U.S.-C... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s economy contracted on weaker exports in the second quarter, detailed data showed on Tuesday, highlighting the Achilles heel of Europe’s largest economy due to escalating trade disputes and waning foreign demand. The Federal Statist... More »
ALGIERS (Reuters) – On the face of it, Algeria’s state-dominated economy has weathered six months of turmoil well, with flightloads of public sector workers heading abroad for holidays even as protesters who ousted the veteran president in April now target his... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s exports slipped for an eighth month in July, while manufacturers’ confidence turned negative for the first time in over six years as China-bound sales slumped again in a fresh sign the Sino-U.S. trade war could tip the economy into re... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – It has become a jarring and frequent contradiction. President Donald Trump blames the Federal Reserve for putting the U.S. economy at risk while data shows an economy in “reasonably good” shape, as the head of the central bank recently s... More »
MADRID (Reuters) – A Colombian man was detained at Barcelona’s international airport after half a kilo of cocaine was found hidden under an over-sized toupee, Spanish police said on Tuesday. Arriving on a flight from Bogota, the man attracted police attention ... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s economic growth slowed to 6.2% in the second quarter, its weakest pace in at least 27 years, as demand at home and abroad faltered in the face of mounting U.S. trade pressure. While more upbeat June factory output and retail sales o... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German exports rebounded more strongly than expected in May but failed to fully recover from a slump a month earlier, data showed on Monday, as trade conflicts cool Europe’s largest economy in the second quarter. Exports grew by 1.1% on the ... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Factory activity shrank in most Asian countries in June as the simmering U.S.-China trade conflict put further strains on the region’s manufacturing sector, keeping policymakers under pressure to deploy stronger steps to avert a global recess... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Commerce Department said on Friday it was adding several Chinese companies and a government-owned institute involved in supercomputing with military applications to its national security “entity list” that bars them from buying ... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s exports unexpectedly returned to growth in May despite higher U.S. tariffs, but imports fell the most in nearly three years in a further sign of weak domestic demand that could prompt Beijing to step up stimulus measures. Some analy... More »
SINGAPORE/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s crude oil imports slipped 8% in May from an all-time peak hit the month before, customs data showed, as the world’s top importer of the commodity curbed shipments from Iran amid tightening U.S. sanctions on that country. C... More »
FUKUOKA, Japan (Reuters) – A highly anticipated late June meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping has some parallels with their Buenos Aires summit last December that postponed a tariff hike, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven ... More »
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s exports likely contracted 4.5% in May from a year earlier, logging a seventh straight month of decline, according to a median forecast of 11 analysts polled by Reuters. Taiwan’s April exports had dropped 3.3% from a year earlier, in... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump pressed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday to even out a trade imbalance with the United States and expressed confidence, despite Japanese wariness, that “good things” would come from North Korea. Trump i... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s central bank has not intervened in the trading of the baht to gain a trade advantage with the United States, an assistant governor said on Monday, amid speculation that Washington may soon add the country to a currency watch list... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s export earnings are booming as resource prices surge but a statistical quirk means tens of billions of dollars go missing from main measures of growth, making the economy seem weaker than it actually is. The cash is still coursin... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s economy expanded more slowly than expected in the first quarter of this year, as investment dropped ahead of elections and campaign spending failed to sustain growth momentum. Southeast Asia’s largest economy grew 5.07 percent i... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China is expected to report much slower export growth for April after a strong rebound in March, while imports likely shrank for a fifth straight month but at a milder pace, a Reuters poll showed. If Wednesday’s readings are in line with fo... More »
WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. negotiators have tempered demands that China curb industrial subsidies as a condition for a trade deal after strong resistance from Beijing, according to two sources briefed on discussions, marking a retreat on a core U.S. o... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices slipped on Monday, with concerns of a sharp economic slowdown outweighing supply disruptions from OPEC’s production cutbacks and from U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela. Brent crude oil futures were at $66.73 per barrel at 07... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – China is ready to strengthen its “global strategic partnership” with Italy, Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote in an Italian daily on the eve of his visit to the euro zone’s third-largest economy. “With my visit I wish to set out together wit... More »
MANAMA (Reuters) – As the weekend kicks off in Bahrain, Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti cars jam the capital’s roads and hotel lobbies fill with visitors looking for bars, restaurants and other night-time entertainment. A new sales tax introduced this year means gov... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s exports fell for a third month in February in a sign of growing strain on the trade-reliant economy, suggesting the central bank might be forced to offer more stimulus eventually to temper the effects of slowing external demand and tr... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices dipped on Monday amid concerns that an economic downturn may dent fuel consumption, but crude markets remain broadly supported by supply cuts led by producer group OPEC and U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela. Brent crude... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italy will join China’s giant “Belt and Road” initiative only after satisfying itself that U.S. and European Union concerns over the infrastructure plan have no basis, Industry Junior Minister Michele Geraci was quoted as saying on Monday. Ger... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices rose on Monday, lifted by comments from Saudi oil minister Khalid al-Falih that an end to OPEC-led supply cuts was unlikely before June and a report showing a fall U.S. drilling activity. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crud... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany’s car industry is to invest nearly 60 billion euros ($68 billion) over the next three years on electric cars and automated driving, the head of the VDA car industry association said ahead of the Geneva motor show. “We will invest ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s decision to delay a steep tariff hike on Chinese goods as he touted progress in weekend trade talks was greeted with a mixture of relief and dread among U.S. industry groups and lawmakers on Monday. Some expresse... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – A top U.S. business lobby in China said on Tuesday that a majority of its member companies favored the United States retaining tariffs on Chinese goods while Washington and Beijing try to hammer out a deal to end a months-long trade war. Th... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S.-China trade talks will reach a pivotal phase this week when Chinese Vice Premier Liu He comes to Washington for negotiations with his U.S. counterparts, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven ... More »
WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. officials expect China’s top trade negotiator may visit Washington this month, signaling that higher-level discussions are likely to follow this week’s talks with mid-level officials in Beijing as the world’s two largest eco... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Inflation in Germany’s most populous regions slowed in December, just as the European Central Bank ended a crisis-fighting bond purchase scheme after four years and as global markets slumped. The annual inflation rate in Germany’s most popul... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Losses on global stocks snowballed on Monday, with European markets following Asian peers lower as fresh signs emerged of slowing growth worldwide and fears grew that simmering U.S.-China tensions would torpedo chances of a trade deal. Wall ... More »
(Reuters) – Following are five big themes likely to dominate thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them. 1/ CURVE-BALLS With major parts of the U.S. economy visibly slowing, the Treasury market has reacted in a... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Unless U.S.-China trade talks wrap up successfully by March 1, new tariffs will be imposed, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Sunday, clarifying there is a “hard deadline” after a week of seeming confusion among Preside... More »
ANKARA (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan appointed his son-in-law as Turkey’s finance minister on Monday hours after he was sworn in with sweeping new executive powers, promising a “strong government and a strong Turkey”. The lira TRYTOM=D3, which has lost ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. job growth increased more than expected in June as manufacturers stepped up hiring, but steady wage gains pointed to moderate inflation pressures that should keep the Federal Reserve on a path of gradual interest rate increases. Non... More »
BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and China slapped tit-for-tat duties on $34 billion worth of each other’s imports on Friday, with Beijing accusing Washington of triggering the “largest-scale trade war” as the world’s two biggest economies shar... More »
SINGAPORE/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The United States and China slapped tit-for-tat duties on $34 billion worth of each other’s imports on Friday, with Beijing accusing Washington of triggering the “largest-scale trade war” as the world’s two biggest economies shar... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada’s dollar will climb over the coming year, a Reuters poll showed, but forecasters are less bullish than they were a month ago as escalating trade uncertainty competes with expected Bank of Canada interest rate hikes. The poll of more ... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union has warned the United States that imposing import tariffs on cars and car parts would harm its own automotive industry and likely lead to counter-measures by its trading partners on $294 billion of U.S. exports. In a 10-... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Oil prices rose on Tuesday, supported by Canadian production losses and uncertainty over Libyan exports, but under pressure from climbing OPEC supply and intensifying trade conflicts between the United States and other major economies. Bench... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – President Hassan Rouhani promised Iranians the government would be able to handle the economic pressure of new U.S. sanctions, a day after traders massed outside parliament to protest against a sharp fall in the value of the national currenc... More »
LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) – Factory growth in major manufacturing hubs showed signs of cooling last month as companies braced for potential damage from rising global trade tensions while also grappling with accelerating inflation and a strong dollar. U.S. Presi... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump is running out of time to deliver a revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) he promised for this year and people involved in the talks say the crunch is largely of his administration’s own making.... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe’s top trade official Cecilia Malmstrom will meet U.S. counterparts Wilbur Ross and Robert Lighthizer in Paris on Wednesday, two days before a temporary reprieve from U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs is due to expire. “A bilateral mee... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Monday praised a significant dialing back of trade tension with the United States, with the government saying agreement was in the interests of both countries while state media trumpeted what it saw as China’s refusal to surrender.... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s exports accelerated in April on increased shipments of cars and machines used to make semiconductors, with rising volumes suggesting healthy overseas demand could help the economy recover quickly from a dip in the first quarter. Expor... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Hollywood’s push for greater access to China’s booming film market – delayed since last year – has become tangled in broader trade talks between Washington and Beijing, a potentially thorny position amid whipsawing trade relations. Negotiat... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to revisit penalties for Chinese company ZTE Corp for flouting U.S. sanctions on trade with Iran, saying the telecom maker is a big buyer for U.S. suppliers. Trump, known for his fie... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Talks to update the NAFTA trade deal enter a make-or-break week on Monday, as ministers from Canada, the United States and Mexico seek to resolve an impasse in key areas before elections in Mexico and the United States complicate the pro... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Following are five big themes likely to dominate the thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them. WHAT’S THE PRICE 1/The Federal Reserve has acknowledged U.S. inflation has perked up, adding t... More »
OMAHA, Neb. (Reuters) – Billionaire Warren Buffett has been buying a boatload of Apple Inc shares and on Saturday suggested he would buy even more shares at the right price. At Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s annual shareholder meeting, Buffett credited Apple with de... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – To deal with a familiar combination of falling currencies and uncertainty about economic growth, Asian central banks are reverting to their classic policy playbook. They are intervening in currency markets while concurrently injecting cas... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – A U.S. trade delegation in China has been having very good conversations, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Friday, as he heads into the second and likely last day of talks in Beijing. A breakthrough deal to fundamentally chang... More »
SINGAPORE/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Asia’s most externally vulnerable economies – India, Indonesia and the Philippines – have just taken a one-two punch. U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yields US10YT=RR hit 3 percent this week, a level long touted as one to watch for p... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Growth in China’s vast manufacturing sector is expected to have eased slightly in April, as factory-gate prices stayed subdued in a possible sign of slowing domestic demand, while a simmering Sino-U.S. trade row heightened risks for the ind... More »
BRASILIA/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will soon be a distant memory, likely to be supplanted by only slight changes to the 24-year-old pact, a Reuters poll of economists ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. economy likely slowed in the first quarter as growth in consumer spending braked sharply, but the setback is expected to be temporary against the backdrop of a tightening labor market and large fiscal stimulus. Gross domestic pr... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s efforts to reduce its reliance on debt and find a more sustainable route to grow its economy may be derailed by the simmering trade dispute with the United States, economists warn. This was the year that Beijing was expected to step... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday he may travel to China, a move that could ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies, as international policymakers acknowledged Beijing needs to change its trade pract... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar weakened on Monday and headed towards a two-week low against a basket of rivals on growing signs of relief that a U.S.-led strike on Syria would not escalate further at a time when concerns over a trade war has rattled global mark... More »
SYDNEY/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday promised to open the country’s economy further and lower import tariffs on products including cars, in a speech that struck a conciliatory tone on the rising trade tensions between China and t... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The massive tax cuts signed into law in December, which Republicans said would pay for themselves, will balloon the U.S. deficit in years ahead, the Congressional Budget Office said on Monday, possibly hobbling President Donald Trump’s f... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand aims to seek membership in a landmark Asia-Pacific trade agreement this year, a deputy prime minister said on Thursday. The government has asked the commerce ministry to look into the details on how to join the 11-member Comprehens... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s current account deficit was much smaller than expected last year, its statistics office said on Thursday, potentially easing concerns about the country’s reliance on foreign investors to fund itself as Brexit nears. The Office for ... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Germany’s new finance minister said on Friday after talks with his French counterpart that he wanted to be a force for further integration in the euro zone in conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, wh... More »
FILE PHOTO: South Korean Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon speaks during his inaugural ceremony in Sejong government complex in Sejong, South Korea, June 15, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea will “deploy all possible means” to respond to U.... More »
FILE PHOTO: South Korean Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon speaks during his inaugural ceremony in Sejong government complex in Sejong, South Korea, June 15, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s finance minister said on Monday the government ... More »
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang claps hands as he delivers his speech during the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China March 5, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj BEIJING (Reuters) – China aims to expand i... More »
Feb 16, 2018- Pyeongchang, South Korea- South Korea president Jae-in Moon visit the Olympic Main Press Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday General Motors Co’s (GM.N) decision ... More »
FILE PHOTO: A man sits near a cargo area at a port in Tokyo, Japan, October 20, 2015. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo TOKYO (Reuters) – Buoyant sales of cars and electronics led Japan’s exports to a 14th straight month of growth in January but manufacturers’ bus... More »
FILE PHOTO: A container ship is seen at the shipping terminal Eurokai in the Port of Hamburg, Germany November 6, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo LONDON/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Euro zone factories ended 2017 growing at their fastest pace in more than two ... More »
FILE PHOTO: Freight containers stand half immersed in water after the Elbe River broke its bank at a storage facility at the harbour in Riesa, Germany, June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) – The frustration of Roberto Azevedo was evid... More »
FILE PHOTO: Fishing trawlers are seen in front of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai, India, July 31, 2015. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade/File Photo GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK AHEAD – SEARCH GLOBAL BUSINESS 11 DEC FOR ALL IMAGES NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’... More »
A containership is loaded at a terminal at the harbour in Hamburg, late March 30, 2011. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) – German exports fell unexpectedly in October while vibrant domestic demand pushed up imports, narrowing its trade surplus... More »
FILE PHOTO: Containers are seen at a port of Shanghai Free Trade Zone, February 11, 2014. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s exports and imports unexpectedly accelerated last month in an encouraging sign for the world’s second-biggest econ... More »
A manufacturer displays camera housing during the China Public Security Expo in Shenzhen, China October 30, 2017. Picture taken Octoberr 30, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip LONDON/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Global manufacturing expanded at the fastest pace in years last mo... More »
FILE PHOTO: Container boxes are seen at the Yangshan Deep Water Port, part of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, in Shanghai, China September 24, 2016. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s trade deficit in services narrowed to $17.8 billion in Oc... More »
FILE PHOTO: Containers are stacked at the port of Auckland September 30, 2011. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/File Photo WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand’s trade deficit narrowed in October as dairy and lamb shipments fueled a jump in exports, despite imports hittin... More »
FILE PHOTO: An employee works at a beer production line at Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings’ factory in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan July 14, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest p... More »
