Foreign companies and corruption in China
BRATISLAVA | By Andrej Matisak | “Corruption is rampant. Giving bribes is not unusual. Do in Rome as Romans do. So many foreign companies have also followed the practice in China.”
World economy
When Brazil ruined its economic policy
SAO PAULO | By Marcus Nunes | In Brazil, policies that would make even an ‘advocate’ such as Krugman blush were implemented, with shameful results.
Interbank tensions in China
BARCELONA | By CaixaBank research team | The credit provided by China’s financial system has grown at a very fast rate over the last few years, particularly in its so-called shadow banking system.
The Federal Reserve’s controversial exit strategy
BARCELONA | By CaixaBank research team | As Bernanke’s words are digested, it is inevitable that questions come up regarding whether this sequence is correct or, on the other hand, the Federal Reserve’s actions are untimely.
Don’t always blame austerity
SAO PAULO | By Marcus Nunes | Some economists make the now conventional mistake of ascribing the 1937-38 recession to “austerity”. It was a classic monetary tightening (gold sterilization mostly) induced recession.
US GDP revisions illustrated
SAO PAULO | By Marcus Nunes | The amendments made on the way the US GDP is measured favoured higher positive figures, but the rate of growth has not changed in any significant way.
Free trade versus single market
PRAGUE | The EU-US trade deal will bring benefits to both sides, but will pose challenges to the internal trade for both sides, plus harm the economies of other countries, writes Martin Tlapa following the publication of a report by the Bertelsmann Foundation.
Spanish bid for Brazil railway project under stress after Santiago accident
MADRID | By Carlos Díaz Guell | Analysts in Madrid expect that the investigation over the causes of the Santiago accident will have made public its conclusions before the Brazilian government awards the project.
Central banks and monetary belligerence
MADRID | All the “Great Depression” stories show how both the governments’ blindness and central banks made the crisis last longer. So it does makes sense that in the current crisis both governments and central banks have been active to take measures, although not necessarily successful and effective. However, the ECB has been less belligerent than other bankers and its members don’t hold homogeneous positions.
China: Putting Foreign Exchange Reserves to Better Use
BEIJING | For Chinese economic magazine Caixin, well-managed sovereign investment companies are a trend China would do well to follow, given the size of the country’s foreign exchange reserves.