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☆ Analysis: With central banks' job half done, global inflation talk is shifting
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Balazs Koranyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"It may just be lucky that a global demand slump or non-policy related domestic forces are driving inflation lower." This disconnect led the German central bank to issue a warning to peers this week that a tough task may still lie ahead for policymakers. "The impression took hold that inflation rates will nonetheless persist for longer above the rates targeted by central banks," the Bundesbank said. Indeed, longer-term inflation expectations for the U.S. and the euro zone remain above the banks' 2% targets. But even in the best case, weaker growth will reduce demand for imports and complicate the global outlook.

Persons: JACKSON, Steve Englander, Piet Haines Christiansen, Philip Lane, Lane, Niels Graham, Julian Evans, Pritchard, Balazs Koranyi, Dan Burns, Toby Chopra Organizations: Standard Chartered, The Bank of England, ECB, Reserve Bank of Australia, Reserve Bank of New, Danske Bank, U.S, People's Bank of, Atlantic Council, Capital Economic, Thomson Locations: , Wyoming, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, German, Europe, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Jackson, People's Bank of China, China

☆ What is BRICS, which countries want to join and why?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

All the BRICS countries are part of the Group of 20 (G20) of major economies. WHICH NATIONS WANT TO JOIN BRICS AND WHY? It has received backing from Russia and Brazil to join the BRICS. Bolivia's President Luis Arce has expressed interest in BRICS membership and is expected to attend the summit. Algeria said in July it has applied for BRICS membership and to become a shareholder in the New Development Bank, the so-called BRICS Bank.

Persons: Commerce Wang, Competition Ebrahim Patel, Goldman Sachs, Jim O'Neill, Luis Arce, Bhargav Acharya, Olivia Kumwenda, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Commerce, Africa's, Trade, Industry, Competition, of Trade, Economic, United Nations, World Bank, of, Petroleum, WHO, Democratic, U.S, New Development Bank, BRICS Bank, Thomson Locations: South Africa, China, JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, Johannesburg, United States, United, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Algeria, Bolivia, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Cape Town

☆ The dedollarization drive is facing a confidence crisis as the yuan, ruble and Argentine peso simultaneously plummet, an analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Slumps in the ruble, yuan, and Argentine peso underscore how the US dollar is a more reliable currency, an expert told Insider. In the past week alone, the Chinese yuan, Russian ruble, and the Argentine peso plunged, forcing the countries' central banks to take drastic measures to calm markets. The Chinese currency fell Thursday to its weakest level this year amid investor anxiety over the deepening slowdown in the world's second-largest economy. Last month, Russian president Vladimir Putin said more than 80% of his country's trade with China is settled in the yuan and ruble. "The recent decline and volatility in the Chinese Yuan, the Russian Ruble, and to a lesser extent the Argentine Peso, will only add further challenges to the idea of de-dollarization," Zain Vawda, market analyst at DailyFX, said.

Persons: Slumps, Vladimir Putin, Yuan, Zain, Vawda, Paul Krugman, Larry Summers, It's Organizations: Service, Argentine, International Monetary Fund Locations: Argentine, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Argentina, Moscow, Beijing, Russian, China

☆ Finns Party mastermind defends long-term goal to leave the EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Opinion polls show the hardline former party leader is unlikely to win the presidency, but his views are influential within the Finns Party, which is part of the right-wing government that took office in June. Delegates at the weekend conference discussed the party's EU stance in light of the Ukraine war and its governing alliance with pro-EU allies. The Finns Party backed the country joining NATO this year. The Finns Party congress also rejected the EU's proposed Nature Restoration Law, with Tavio calling it "a sad example of the acceleration of the EU's dictatorial policy under the guise of climate change". The Finns Party has suffered two setbacks in recent weeks.

Persons: Jussi Halla, Anne Kauranen HELSINKI, Party's Jussi Halla, aho, Halla, Ville Tavio, Vilhelm Junnila, Riikka Purra, Anne Kauranen, Justyna Pawlak, Hugh Lawson, Helen Popper Our Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Saturday ., Finns Party, EU, Reuters, NATO, Foreign Trade, Restoration, Thomson Locations: Helsinki, Finland, Ukraine, EU, Western Europe, Europe, Halla

Pressure gauges, pipes and valves are pictured at an "Dashava" underground gas storage facility near Striy, Ukraine May 28, 2015. The bloc is expected to reach a target of filling its storage facilities to 90% full by Nov. 1. "EP Commodities transports natural gas to Ukraine and uses Ukrainian gas storage facilities," Miroslav Hasko, chairman at EPH's EP Commodities, said. EU countries' gas storage facilities were 87% full on Aug. 7, according to transparency platform GIE. "We consider gas storage in Ukraine as one of the interesting business opportunities that we are currently considering," SPP told Reuters.

Persons: Gleb Garanich, Miroslav Hasko, Naftotgaz, Martin Pich, Bruegel, Jan Lopatka, Marek Strzelelcki, Pavel Polityuk, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Traders, Gas, Reuters, Commodities, Naftogaz, Thomson Locations: Striy, Ukraine, PRAGUE, WARSAW, Czech, Slovakia, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Kyiv

☆ Focus: Key trade loophole keeps cheap Chinese products flowing to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Katherine Masters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that de minimis shipments into the U.S. rose to 685.5 million in 2022, up nearly 67% over 2018. That equals roughly two to three million packages a day, Robert Silvers, Under Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security, told lawmakers in July. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers in June introduced bills that would ban de minimis shipments from China upon enactment. Rival U.S. retailers also have grown increasingly concerned about the exemption as Shein and Temu have gained market share. In 2015, Congress raised the cap on de minimis shipments to $800 from $200, making the U.S. threshold one of the highest in the world.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Shein, Peter Pernot, Robert Silvers, minimis, Jason Smith, Temu, Steve Story, They're, Erik Autor, Katherine Masters, Anna Driver Organizations: REUTERS, PDD Holdings, U.S, Reuters, American Apparel and Footwear Association, de, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Republican, Columbia, Apex Logistics International, UPS, FedEx, Barlow & Company, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, Mexico, Canada

☆ China's yuan expands its growing foothold in South America as Bolivia reduces reliance on US dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Jason Ma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China's yuan is expanding its foothold in South America as Bolivia reduces its reliance on the dollar. The country's yuan transactions from May to July accounted for about 10% of its foreign trade in that span. Bolivia has been hit by dollar shortages recently as lower natural gas production hit exports. But the country has been hit by dollar shortages recently as lower natural gas production hit exports. Argentine companies are increasingly turning to China's yuan amid dollar shortages, though many consumers use the dollar in daily purchases as hyperinflation slams the peso.

Persons: Marcelo Montenegro, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Organizations: Service, Privacy, Associated Press Locations: South America, Bolivia, Wall, Silicon, South, Argentina, Brazil, China

☆ Bolivia challenges global dollar dominance with Chinese yuan, Russian rouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ, July 28 (Reuters) - Bolivia's government is determined to curb dependence on the U.S. dollar for foreign trade, instead turning to the Chinese yuan, officials said, as Latin American support for alternative currencies grows. Bolivia has faced months of severe dollar shortages, driven in part by falling natural gas production, a key national export. Net foreign currency reserves have fallen to roughly $4 billion from a peak of $15 billion in 2014, pressuring state finances and threatening Bolivia's long-defended currency peg with the dollar. Not in dollars, but in its own currency," Montenegro said. Financial transactions worth 278 million Chinese yuan ($38.7 million) accounted for 10% of Bolivia's foreign trade in May through July, Montenegro said.

Persons: Marcelo Montenegro, Mikhail Ledenev, Daniel Ramos, Lucinda Elliott, Richard Chang Organizations: LA, U.S, Banco Union, Russia's, Thomson Locations: LA PAZ, La Paz . Bolivia, China, Montenegro, Bolivian, Russian, Bolivia, Moscow, Western, Russia, Beijing, Brazil, Argentina

☆ Europe economy: The recession may already be over
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Mark Thompson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Spain reported GDP growth of 0.4%, just a shade weaker than in the first quarter. Second-quarter GDP figures for the euro area as a whole will be published on Monday. “We expect a modest expansion in eurozone GDP after two weak quarters,” Oxford Economics said in a research note on Friday. Only 7% of forecasters expect the euro area to suffer another recession, or two consecutive quarters of contraction, between now and the first quarter of 2024. Separately, survey data released Monday showed that business activity in the euro area contracted at the fastest pace in eight months in July.

Persons: “, Christine Lagarde, ” Lagarde Organizations: CNN, “, French, Oxford, European Central Bank, headwinds, ”, ECB Locations: France, Spain, Germany, China

☆ China says foreign trade faces 'extremely severe' situation, blames geopolitics for slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — China's Commerce Ministry on Wednesday said non-economic factors were growing and interfering with the country's foreign trade which was facing an "extremely severe" situation in the second half of this year. "Some countries' forceful push for 'decoupling,' 'severing [supply] chains' and so-called 'de-risking' are human-made obstacles blocking normal commerce," Li Xingqian, the head of the ministry's external trade department, said in Mandarin, according to a CNBC translation. He was speaking to reporters at a press conference about the ministry's work in the first half of the year. China's exports, a significant contributor to domestic growth, have plunged in recent months as global growth has slowed. He also said that since trade had risen during the three years of the Covid-19 pandemic, that had set a high base for this year's figures.

Persons: Li Xingqian, Li Organizations: BEIJING, China's Commerce Ministry, CNBC

☆ US trade group blasts Canada for refusal to extend digital services tax freeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) - The U.S.-based National Foreign Trade Council on Thursday blasted Canada for its refusal to back a global agreement to hold off on implementing digital services taxes for at least another year, and said the move could invite retaliation. NFTC President Jake Colvin said he welcomed news from the OECD that most countries with digital services taxes had agreed to extend the moratorium on implementation. He also said the move would allow countries to keep working a global tax deal in good faith. "Canada joined Belarus, Russia and a small handful of others in not joining because they seem to want to move forward quickly with their digital services tax," Colvin said. Colvin said Washington could retaliate under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement if Canada went ahead and implemented the new tax.

Persons: Jake Colvin, Colvin, We're, Chrystia Freeland, Washington, Katherine Tai, Mary Ng, Andrea Shalal, Anna Driver Organizations: Foreign Trade, OECD, Canadian Finance, U.S, . Trade, Canadian Trade, Thomson Locations: U.S, Canada, Belarus, Russia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

☆ Yellen's China trip yields long meetings, 'cordial' tone, but no consensus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The accomplishment of the meeting was the meeting itself, not specific issues," said Scott Kennedy, a China economics expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. A senior U.S. Treasury official accompanying Yellen on her first trip to China as secretary described it as "respectful, frank and constructive," adding: "She was warmly received." Her meeting on Saturday with He, China's new economic czar, was scheduled for two hours but lasted five, followed by a "cordial" dinner, the official said. In the meantime, Yellen said the talks set the stage for more frequent U.S.-China communications at the staff level about economic issues, including areas of disagreement. A possible venue for this would be the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco in November.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, Lifeng, Scott Kennedy, Premier Li Qiang, Pan Gongsheng, Joe Biden's, Jake Colvin, Hong Hao, Hong, Colvin, Biden, John Kerry, Gina Raimondo, Xi Jinping, Wang Yiwei, David Lawder, Andrea Shalal, Ryan Woo, Ellen Zhang, Qiaoyi Li, Stephen Coates Organizations: . Treasury, U.S, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Global Times, Treasury, Premier, People's Bank of China, National Foreign Trade Council, Grow Investment, . Commerce, Renmin University, Economic Cooperation, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Washington, China's, U.S, United States, Hong Kong, Asia, San Francisco, Anchorage , Alaska

☆ Germany sends troops to Australia in a first as Berlin shifts focus to Indo-Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China is Berlin's most important trading partner, and 40% of Europe's foreign trade flows through the South China Sea, a waterway that is a focal point for territorial disputes in the Indo-Pacific. In 2021, a German warship sailed into the South China Sea for the first time in almost 20 years. When asked what message the first deployment of German troops to Australia was meant to send to China, he underscored Berlin did not aim to antagonize anybody. Mais plans to visit the German troops in Australia and a Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) plant assembling Boxer armoured transport vehicles for both armies in mid-July, before travelling on to Japan and Singapore. As for Talisman Sabre, the German troops already have orders to return to Australia for the next exercise in 2025.

Persons: Alfons Mais, Berlin, Mais, Talisman Sabre, Sabine Siebold, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: European Union, Reuters, Talisman, Rheinmetall, Boxer, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Australia, China, German, U.S, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, France, Britain, Berlin, Europe, Singapore

☆ Uzbek leader holds early election to extend rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TASHKENT, July 9 (Reuters) - Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev holds an early election on Sunday to extend his rule for another seven years, just months after changing the constitution to lift term limits that would have required him to step aside in 2026. Foreign trade has been opened, foreign exchange controls have been lifted, and the political system has been liberalised somewhat. Like other states in Central Asia, Uzbekistan is trying to minimise collateral damage from Western sanctions imposed against its traditional trading partner Russia over the war in Ukraine. Politically, Tashkent has maintained neutrality, calling for peace in Ukraine and pledging to abide by Western sanctions while maintaining normal ties with Moscow. Officially running against Mirziyoyev are three candidates representing the Ecological Party, People’s Democratic Party and the Social-Democratic party of Adolat (Justice).

Persons: Shavkat Mirziyoyev, autocrat Islam Karimov, Mukhammadsharif, Olzhas Organizations: Mirziyoyev, Ecological Party, People’s Democratic Party, Social, Democratic, Thomson Locations: TASHKENT, Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan, Soviet, Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Tashkent, Moscow, West

☆ Germany's economy is stagnating. And these 5 charts show how
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

But a faltering gross domestic product isn't the only figure that suggests that the German economy is stuttering. Germany's inflation rate is expected to hit 6.4% for June, according to provisional data from the German statistics office, which is an increase from the 6.1% recorded for May. Expect maybe for the second half that inflation might come down to a certain extent," Joachim Nagel, president of Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, told CNBC in March. "What the fiscal authority can do in the face of high inflation is to alleviate the pain of inflation on the most fragile citizens," he said. The German economy has already recouped half of the losses in terms of trade incurred over the last two years and the energy crisis," he added.

Persons: Joachim Nagel, Sylvain Broyer, Volker Wieland, Veronika Grimm, Alexander, Universität, Broyer, China's, Robert Habeck Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, CNBC, European Central Bank, Energy, Goethe University, Allianz, Reuters, Friedrich, country's Locations: Germany, Europe, Ukraine, Frankfurt, Universität Erlangen, Nürnberg, China, Beijing

☆ Yellen's China visit aims at 'new normal' with Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese officials are concerned about the Biden administration's plans to limit U.S. companies' China investments and what they see as moves to decouple the two economies. "There is no substitute for diplomacy," said one senior administration official. "Secretary Yellen’s trip is more than a step toward preparation for a potential Biden-Xi meeting at APEC. Despite the cooling relations, trade between the U.S. and China grew in 2022 for the third year in a row, U.S. Commerce Department data show. Two other Cabinet secretaries, Commerce chief Raimondo and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, met in May with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.

Persons: Janet Yellen's, Biden, COVID lockdowns, Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Wu Xinbo, Yellen's, Gina Raimondo, Derek Scissors, Yellen, Russia's Wagner, Joe Biden, Xi, Scott Kennedy, Jake Colvin, Donald Trump, Colvin, Lifeng, Liu He, Raimondo, Katherine Tai, Wang Wentao, Andrea Shalal, Michael Martina, Lun Tian Yew, Dan Burns, Heather Timmons, Andrea Ricci Organizations: . Treasury, China's Fudan University, American Enterprise Institute, U.S, Economic Cooperation, Biden, APEC, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Foreign Trade, . Commerce Department, Treasury, . Trade, Chinese Commerce, Thomson Locations: China, Russia, U.S, Beijing, Ukraine, United States, Asia, San Francisco, Washington, Zurich, Wang Wentao .

☆ Europe stocks open mixed as investors await data releases
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European markets opened mixed on Tuesday, with investors in a cautious mood ahead of data releases and the start of second-quarter earnings season. Data is also due on U.K. average mortgage rates. The U.S. Federal Reserve will release the minutes of its last meeting Wednesday, after Chairman Jerome Powell said there was "more restriction coming." Markets are currently pricing in an 89.9% likelihood of a 25-basis-point hike in interest rates July, according to CME's FedWatch tool. It comes as central bankers and leading economists warn markets not to expect interest rate cuts too fast or too soon.

Persons: Banks, Jerome Powell Organizations: U.S . Federal

☆ Putin reassures Asian allies of Russia's stability after mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a summit of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) via a video conference call at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, July 4, 2023. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Kremlin via REUTERSMOSCOW, July 4 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin reassured Asian leaders of Russia's stability and unity on Tuesday in his first appearance at an international forum since the country was rocked by a brief armed mutiny last month. "The Russian people are consolidated as never before," Putin told a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a group that also includes China and India. Putin told the group there was a growing risk of a new global economic and financial crisis fuelled by developed countries' debts and worsening food and environmental security. Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan Editing by Andrew Osborn and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Kazakov, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS, Fatherland, Moscow, Belarus, SCO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, REUTERS MOSCOW, China, India, Russian, Ukraine, Iran, United States

"It's all about containing those kinds of capabilities from the north," retired U.S. Major General Gordon B. Davis Jr. told Reuters. "With five submarines we can close the Baltic Sea," Linden told Reuters. The region from the Baltic in the south to the high north may become almost an integrated operating area for NATO. It was first shipped from Germany across the Baltic Sea, then trucked nearly 900 km to the north. "It would make it very difficult for the Russian Baltic Sea fleet to operate in a free way," he said.

Persons: Mika Hakkarainen, Finland –, Major General Gordon B, Davis Jr, Fredrik Linden, Sweden's, Linden, Samu Paukkunen, Paukkunen, Sebastian Bruns, Michael Maus, Kurt Rossi, Rossi, Tuomo Lamberg, Bruns, Nick Childs, Anne Kauranen, Johan Ahlander, Jacob Gronholt, Sabine Siebold, Sara Ledwith Organizations: NATO, Reuters, Fleet, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Major, Analysts, Northern Fleet, Kiel University's Institute for Security, NATO's, Transformation, Field Artillery, U.S . Army, Baltic, Commission, Security, Cooperation, Naval Forces and Maritime Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Fouche, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: TORNIO, Finland, KARLSKRONA, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Stockholm, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, RUSSIA, Russian, Murmansk, Kola, Barents, North America, Greenland, Iceland, Helsinki, Baltic, Nord, Russia's, Denmark, Kiel, Rovaniemi, Santa Claus, United States, Britain, Germany, –, St, Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Sweco, Swedish, Gotland, Karlskrona, Oeland, London, Birmingham, Tornio, Oslo, Copenhagen, Brussels

☆ China unveils sweeping foreign policy law as Xi consolidates power — and aims to counter the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has unveiled a sweeping foreign relations law enshrining its right to impose “countermeasures” against actions that it deems a threat – in Beijing’s latest bid to bolster its position amid strained relations with the West. “This is the first comprehensive foreign relations law … but it (reads) more like Xi Jinping’s foreign policy declaration,” Zhao said, adding that its release comes at a moment when Xi is focused on countering what it sees as US efforts to contain China. “The party, not the government, runs China’s foreign relations. The law also includes China’s pledge to promote “high-level opening-up” of its economy, development of foreign trade and and encouraging and legally protecting foreign investment. In recent months, a campaign against consulting and due diligence firms has unnerved foreign businesses in China.

Persons: enshrining, Antony Blinken, Jinping, –, Zhao Leji, “, Xi, Washington, Lockheed Martin, Suisheng Zhao, University of Denver’s Josef, ” Zhao, ”, China’s, Sung, Li Qiang, Zhao Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, West, Global Times, Lockheed, Raytheon, Communist Party, Center for, Cooperation, University of Denver’s, University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, Australian National University’s Taiwan Studies Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing’s, Beijing, China’s, United States, Ukraine, Taiwan, Center for China, Tianjin, Europe, Denver

☆ Brexit an 'economic disaster' for UK and German trade - DIHK
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, June 22 (Reuters) - Brexit has been an "economic disaster" for trade and investment ties between the United Kingdom and Germany, leading to a fall in German direct investment and seeing the UK decline in importance as a trading partner, German economists said. "Brexit is an economic disaster for both sides of the channel," Volker Treier, head of foreign trade at the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), told Reuters on Thursday. According to the DIHK, some 2,163 German companies are now active in the UK, 5.2% fewer than in 2016. Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), an organisation that helps international companies set up business in Germany, has counted more than 1,000 new businesses from the UK since the Brexit vote. Germany's size and central location are an advantage when it comes to attracting UK companies, he added.

Persons: Volker Treier, Treier, Robert Hermann, Rene Wagner, Maria Martinez, Emma Rumney Organizations: European Union, German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Reuters, Germany Trade, Invest, EU, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, United Kingdom, Germany, Britain, U.S, Switzerland

☆ U.S. to slap new sanctions on Myanmar state-owned banks - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Thai reports, published on Tuesday, said Washington would announce new sanctions on Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank as early as Wednesday. A spokesman for Myanmar's military junta said it was not worried about any new sanctions. Zaw Min Tun told the state media channel MWD on Tuesday evening that the country has experienced sanctions before and they will not face losses if there are new sanctions on Myanmar state-owned banks. He said the United States was "just doing this to cause difficulties in economics and politics". One of the Thai media reports, by Bangkok Business News, cited Thai sources as saying the sanctions would impact Thailand and other countries in the region financially because of connections with local banks.

Persons: Washington, Aung, Kyi, Min Tun, Critics, Prayuth Chan, Panu, Poppy McPherson, Kay Johnson, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: United, Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank, Myanmar Investment, Commercial Bank, Reuters, Embassy, Bangkok Business, Thai, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, United States, U.S, Thailand, States, Myanmar, Bangkok, Pattaya, ASEAN

☆ Russia says regional free trade pact with Iran possible by year-end
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 19 (Reuters) - A free trade zone agreement between Iran, Russia and several countries that cover the vast Eurasian region spreading from the borders of Eastern Europe to Western China is possible by the end of the year, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Monday. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk told the state TASS agency in an interview that talks between the Eurasian Economic Union - which comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia - and Iran are in their final stages. The regional agreement with Iran would replace and expand an interim pact that already provides a reduction in customs duties on hundreds of categories of goods. In November 2022, Russia started swapping oil products with Iran and in March, Tehran said it counts on "huge volumes" of both oil and gas swaps with Moscow. Overchuk also told TASS, without providing much detail, that negotiations among the Eurasian Economic Union countries on creating a common gas market continue.

Persons: Alexei Overchuk, Overchuk, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: TASS, Eurasian Economic, Kremlin, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Iran, Russia, Eastern Europe, Western China, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Europe, Moscow, Tehran, Russian, China, Melbourne

☆ Belgian foreign minister in turmoil over Iran, Russian delegates invitations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 19 (Reuters) - Belgian foreign affairs minister Hadja Lahbib is facing calls for resignation after granting visas to delegations from Iranian and Russian cities to attend a mayors convention in Brussels last week. State secretary for external relations & foreign trade of the Brussels government Pascal Smet resigned on Sunday over the all-expenses paid trip. I am now asking the organizers, Metropolis, to bear these costs," Smet told a press conference on Sunday. Why only three weeks after the release of Olivier Vandecasteele, she accepts that terrorists come to Brussels? And why must the name of Belgium always be sullied by foreign relations which it cannot manage to control?"

Persons: Hadja Lahbib, Lahbib, Olivier Vandecasteele, Pascal Smet, Smet, Darya Safai, Safai, Marine Strauss, Benoit Van Overstraeten Organizations: Belgian, Brussels Urban, European Commission, Sunday, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Belgian, Brussels, Vandecasteele, Iran, Iranian, Belgium, Bogota, Kyiv, Tehran, Kazan

☆ As U.S. and Chinese Officials Meet, Businesses Temper Their Hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Ana Swanson | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Foreign direct investment in China has fallen to an 18-year low. “The hope is that high-level dialogues like this can start to inject some certainty for business into an increasingly fraught and unpredictable trade relationship,” he said. Still, as one of the world’s largest consumer markets and home to many factories that supply global businesses, China exerts a powerful pull. On a visit to China this month, Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and owner of Twitter, described the American and Chinese economies as “conjoined twins” and said he opposed to efforts to split them. Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, traveled to China in March and lauded the company’s “symbiotic” relationship with the nation.

Persons: ”, Jake Colvin, Mary Barra, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, Stephen Schwarzman, Elon Musk, Tesla, Tim Cook Organizations: American Chamber of Commerce, National Foreign Trade Council, General Motors, JPMorgan, Twitter Locations: China, Blackstone

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