Category: Economic Conditions and Trends

The Fed Is in no Rush to Cut Rates, Even if There Is a Weak Jobs Report

Fed officials have signaled that it will take more than one weak report to convince them that the labor market is deteriorating.
China’s Central Bank Stops Buying Bonds as Deflation Fears Grip Economy

The unexpected action is intended to tamp down a potential bubble in the bond market fueled by investors shunning riskier assets like stocks and real estate.
Debate Over U.S. Sanctions on Russia For Ukraine War Intensifies

The president-elect has said he will use sanctions sparingly while vowing to end the war in Ukraine, renewing questions over their efficacy.
Xi Jinping, China’s Leader, Nods to Economic Challenges

In a New Year’s address, Xi Jinping made a rare acknowledgment of the flagging economy while reiterating the government’s growth targets.
Chinese Companies Have Sidestepped Trump’s Tariffs. They Could Do It Again.

The companies have found plenty of new channels to the U.S. market — demonstrating the potential limits of the tariffs Donald Trump has promised to impose.
California Economy Feels the Pain of Hollywood Studio Troubles

Film production has failed to bounce back after major strikes last year, and competition from other locales has gotten stiffer.
Iran’s Energy Crisis Hits ‘Dire’ Point as Industries Are Forced to Shut Down

Although Iran has one of the biggest supplies of natural gas and crude oil in the world, it finds itself in a full blown energy emergency, coming just as it also suffers major geopolitical setbacks.
For Syria’s Economy, the Way Forward Starts With Sanctions Relief

Years of strife ruined the energy sector, battered the currency and strangled growth. The West must ease financial controls to help the economy, experts say.
Macau Is the Casino Capital of the World. For China, That’s Not Enough.

A quarter century after the former Portuguese colony was made a Chinese territory, Macau’s economic boundaries with the mainland are being blurred.
Bank of England Holds Rates as U.K. Inflation Rises Amid Economic Uncertainty

Stubborn inflation, tax rises and high interest rates makes it difficult for many to muster optimism, at least in the short term.
Global Central Banks Gird Themselves for Another Trump Term

Central bankers are alert to the risk that global trade tensions will make managing inflation more challenging.
China Pledges More Stimulus to Shore Up Flagging Economy

At a meeting to set the party’s economic policy agenda, China’s leadership said it would borrow more and cut interest rates in a bid to bolster growth.