A range of indicators in China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan show the region’s economic activity being dragged down by China’s COVID lockdowns, inflation in Europe, and the Ukraine war and its sanctions, The Wall Street Journal reported. China’s imports declined for the first time in two years and exports fell 6 percent in March...
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TOP TREND 2022 DRAGFLATION: RISING INTEREST RATES THREATEN DEVELOPING NATIONS
About one in four emerging nations that owe debt payments in hard currencies such as dollars or euros now see their bonds categorized as “distressed,” according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “Distressed” means that the bonds’ yields are at least ten percentage points above the yields of U.S. treasury securities. When interest rates were...
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TOP TREND 2022 DRAGFLATION: WORLD BANK CUTS 2022 GROWTH FORECAST
To cope with the global economic crisis sparked by Russia’s war in Ukraine and resulting sanctions, the World Bank is putting together an aid fund larger than the one it assembled to deal with COVID’s worldwide infestation. The bank is contemplating a $170-billion package that would be disbursed over 15 months. The program would begin...
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LOCKDOWNS HIT CHINA’S ECONOMY BUT NOT THE WALL STREET WHITE SHOE BOYS
Although China’s first-quarter economic growth of 4.4 percent this year matched the previous quarter’s expansion, most of that growth took place in January and February. In March, the shutdowns began. As Omicron cases began appearing, China slammed shut city after city, including tech hub Shenzhen and Shanghai, the country’s most populous city and home to...
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TOP TREND 2022 DRAGFLATION: IMF CUTS FORECAST FOR CHINA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has again cut its outlook for China’s economic expansion this year as part of its semi-annual Global Economic Outlook report. China’s economy will expand by 4.4 percent this year, the IMF now says. Last October, the IMF had predicted 5.6 percent growth for China in 2022, then scaled back its...
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TOP TREND 2022 DRAGFLATION: IMF CUTS GLOBAL GROWTH FORECAST, WARNS OF “DOOM LOOP”
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has scaled back its outlook for the world’s economic expansion this year, whittling its 4.4-percent January forecast to 3.6 percent now amid rising interest rates, unchecked inflation, Russia’s relentless war in Ukraine, and Western sanctions. Last October, the IMF had foreseen global growth in 2022 to be 4.9 percent. The...
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TOP TREND 2022 DRAGFLATION: GLOBAL ECONOMY SLOWS
Economic growth is slowing in many parts of the world, weighed down by inflation, lockdowns in China’s industrial, tech, and shipping centers, and disruptions due to the Ukraine war, The Wall Street Journal reported. The economies of Germany, the U.K., and U.S. are among those afflicted. Manufacturers are grappling with shortages and higher costs for...
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BOSSES’ DILEMMA: HOW TO COMPEL WORKERS BACK TO THE OFFICE
As many as one in three U.S. employees labored at home during the COVID War. Work got done, even though managers were unable to keep eyes on their staff. For many, that autonomy will continue. Of 91 companies surveyed by real estate consulting firm Cushman & Wakefield, 78 have adopted hybrid work models, enabling employees...
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DEMAND FOR TRUCK HAULING EASES UNEXPECTEDLY
The Cass Freight Index, which measures demand for trucking services, crept up 0.6 percent in March, compared to an 8.6-percent rise in February. At the same time, spot rates for space on trucks fell 37 percent in March from the month before, according to a Bank of America (BoA) analysis. The report also found that...
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STUDY: U.S. BILLIONAIRES ENRICH THEMSELVES THROUGH UNTAXED WEALTH
The wealth of the U.S.’s 735 billionaires has soared 62 percent in the last two years to $4.7 trillion, according to an 18 April report from nonprofit Oxfam America. At the same time, American workers have earned about 10 percent more, much of which has been gobbled by inflation, the report noted. Making matters worse,...