By Stratfor Global Intelligence The recent fluctuations in China’s currency typify the best and worst of a globalized world, where developments in one place can instantly change the political and financial calculations of governments in others. For most of human history, the communities, cultures and economies of the world existed independently of one another, separated … Continue reading
By Frank Shostak Earlier this month, the Chinese government decided to depreciate its currency on three consecutive occasions. On August 13, the price of the US dollar was trading at 6.413 — an increase of 3.3 percent against July. The key factor behind the central bank’s lowering of the yuan is a sharp decline in the … Continue reading
By Leslie Maasdorp Last month marked the official launch of the New Development Bank (NDB) in Shanghai. After the short-lived fanfare and excitement, the real work is now well under way to build, from humble beginnings, a new global development finance institution. The historical context that gave rise to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and … Continue reading
By Jim Randle Some investors say China’s wild stock market gyrations have been made worse by worries about the reliability of that nation’s economic data. Critics say the reports can mislead investors by painting an unrealistically strong picture of the economy. Some economists doubt the official growth figures because other data, such as passenger travel and … Continue reading
By Dr. Linda Yueh As China’s markets fall and drag down global equities, the underlying concern is undoubtedly how much a slowdown in the Chinese economy will affect the rest of the world. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, China has notably emerged as one of the twin engines of world growth. China has contributed as … Continue reading
By Mark Mobius, Templeton Emerging Markets Group Pakistan is an example of a country many investors have shunned due to negative news and perceptions, but our take is that often things aren’t always as sensational as may be reported. We do know that we have found some well-run companies in which to invest. We also believe that … Continue reading
By Andrés Velasco With the currencies of Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico hitting record lows recently, currency traders around the world are asking: How much further can emerging-market currencies weaken? The standard approach to answering this question takes a relatively normal base year and measures how much a country’s currency … Continue reading
By Dr. Paul Craig Roberts and Dave Kranzler Are we witnessing the corruption of central banks? Are we observing the money-creating powers of central banks being used to drive up prices in the stock market for the benefit of the mega-rich? These questions came to mind when we learned that the central bank of Switzerland, the Swiss … Continue reading
By Michael Snyder On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 588 points. It was the 8th worst single day stock market crash in U.S. history, and it was the first time that the Dow has ever fallen by more than 500 points on two consecutive days. But the amazing thing is that the Dow … Continue reading
The People’s Bank of China has lowered its interest rate for the fifth time since November boosting European stocks higher in afternoon trading. The one-year lending rate has been reduced by 25 basis points to 4.6%, which is record low for China, according to Bloomberg. Lu Ting, chief economist at Huatai Securities Co. said the … Continue reading