Gold’s recent winning streak was the mirror image of a weakening US dollar. Julius Baer’s analysts still see upside for the US dollar, resulting from accelerating growth and rising interest rates, which should weigh on gold over the coming months. These rate cycle headwinds should however fade as the year progresses, opening up medium- to longer-term bottom-fishing opportunities.
Western democracies are inevitably prone to mounting national debts, as voting populations want government services or handouts, but do not want to pay for them.
Caixin | The banking regulator has recently announced its punishment for a number of banks involved in illicit practices in 2017, imposing record fines totaling more than 2 billion yuan ($308 million).
If Jerome Powell is “sold” on the idea that he has to restrain an economy that is “too vibrant”, the outcome will be “disaster”.
Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, called a snap election on Monday, cashing in on the increase in popular support for his hard line against North Korea’s ballistic missile programme.
Unfortunately, the stakes are being upped in this strange and perverse game between Trump and Pyongyang, with increasing possibilities of China becoming involved. A war with North Korea cannot be ruled out.
Nick Ottens via Atlantic Sentinel | Top military officers are exerting increasing influence in Donald Trump’s administration and causing some to wonder if it’s the start of an American junta. But nobody really expects John Kelly, James Mattis and H.R. McMaster to attempt a putsch.
Mr Trump would be wise to avoid further threatening once he’s made clear that the US will immediately retaliate should North Korea launch even a harmless attack close to Guam. Undoubtedly Mr Kim got the message. That said, no-one knows how he might react next time.
After the storm Sandy has hit New York, Spanish renewable energy company Acciona asks what “global warming” really means: “as well as temperature increases, it means alterations in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather phenomena.”