Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg recently reported that American and Chinese officials were planning to meet this week in China to restart talks to defuse the trade war.
As trade tensions mount and tit-for-tat tariffs are slapped on goods to and from the US, China and the EU, just where are we and where are we headed next? Answers from ING's Senior Economist in Trade Research, Joanna Konings
Some amusing details have emerged from yesterday's alleged trade cease-fire "deal" between Juncker and Trump...
There are various reasons for the move. The US Federal Reserve continues raising interest rates (and signaling more), making it less attractive to take risks abroad when returns can be higher in the US. Loans denominated in US Dollars are less attractive than they used to be. Fewer loans are taken while more are being paid back. Also, Trump's new tariffs are also contributing to the outflows. While the most vocal disputes are with Canada, Mexico, the European Union, and China, other countries are affected as well. Smaller emerging markets are part of the global supply chain. If a Chinese company sources parts from Vietnam for its exports to the US, the Vietnamese factory suffers as well. Expectations for trade barriers already impact investment decisions well before they are impose
Months ago, with plenty of time to prepare for the June EU summit, there were many diverging views, ranging from European dreams to simply saying “nein” to everything. But as the summit looms, here are the four key themes from a monetary union reform perspective on the agenda on Thursday. When Eurozone finance ministers met last week at the Eurogroup meeting, they had good news to present. Not only the end of the Greek bailout programme but also further reforms of the eurozone. But closer scrutiny suggests this ‘good news’ was only really about Greece. The so-called agreement on further eurozone reforms left more questions than answers and it was very difficult to agree with Eurogroup president Mário Centeno’s statement that “the question is no longer if, or how we will complete the economic and monetary union. The question is when?”
France's Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, is addressing media outlets today, speaking about Europe's stance towards trade tariffs being threatened by the US, as well as the ongoing political push for a more unified Europe.
