US President Donald Trump has rattled economies and markets with his promise of imposing punitive tariffs on the nation’s largest trade partners. So far he’s implemented 10% levies on China; delayed plans to hit Mexico and Canada with a 25% duty tax; and indicated that he’s coming for the European Union next. Yet beyond all…
China’s spiral into deflation is proving hard to fix. Prices in the world’s second-biggest economy have fallen for six consecutive quarters, and if they fall for one more quarter, the run would equal a record deflationary streak set in the Asian Financial Crisis in the late 1990s. Policymakers have pledged to do more to shore…
Even in an age of instant communication and live financial data, investors have had to wait days to take ownership of the stocks they purchased or to receive payment for the stocks they sold. No longer. Since May 28, US stock trades have “settled” in one day rather than two. Global banks, brokers and investors…
A distinctive feature of Russia’s military tactics has been that it doesn’t rule out using nuclear weapons in a conventional war. Now, President Vladimir Putin has lowered the bar further for deploying tactical and more powerful strategic atomic weapons, in a broad overhaul of his country’s nuclear doctrine. The shift comes just as the US…
Donald Trump said repeatedly during his campaign to return to the US presidency that he could quickly negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. There’s now concern in Ukraine and among its allies that once Trump is inaugurated in January, the US will back away from supporting the effort to fend off Russian invasion….