Monthly Archives: April 2018

April 2018

Petro-Yuan: The Death of US Dominance?

2020-04-11T17:34:56+00:00

To understand the recent situation regarding China and the oil industry, it is important to note some key points that put things into context: Oil is the most traded commodity in the world. China is the world's largest consumer of oil. They only became the largest importer of oil in 2016, before that it was [...]

Petro-Yuan: The Death of US Dominance? 2020-04-11T17:34:56+00:00

Economic Outlook – 22 April 2018

2018-04-22T19:08:09+00:00

US Retail sales were above consensus and increased 0.6% in March, reversing the recent three-month string of declines. Winter weather in the Northeast, which was widely expected to have a greater adverse effect, was limited. The improvement was driven by auto sales, health and personal care and non-store retailers’ sales. Control group sales, which are [...]

Economic Outlook – 22 April 2018 2018-04-22T19:08:09+00:00

Economic Outlook – 15 April 2018

2018-04-15T18:30:09+00:00

US Those who were hoping for signs of firming inflation were not disappointed. The inflation celebration was kicked off on Tuesday with the release of March’s producer price index (PPI), which rose 0.3% ahead of expectations for a 0.1% gain. Besides the energy component, all major sub-sectors saw prices rise last month. Moreover, this now [...]

Economic Outlook – 15 April 2018 2018-04-15T18:30:09+00:00

Understanding the US Interest Rate Hikes

2020-04-11T18:01:07+00:00

On Wednesday 21 March, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) announced they would raise the interest rates by 0.25 % to a new target range between 1.5 % and 1.75 %. The FOMC argues that compared to its last meeting in January 2018, the economic activity and labor market [...]

Understanding the US Interest Rate Hikes 2020-04-11T18:01:07+00:00

US & China Trade Tariffs: An Escalating Situation

2020-04-11T18:01:16+00:00

On Tuesday 3rd April, the U.S. released its initial list of 1,333 Chinese products that would be subject to a 25% tariff of roughly $50 billion. This includes products such as raw materials, construction machinery, agricultural equipment, electronics, medical devices and consumer goods. There will be a 60-day comment period, during which time businesses and [...]

US & China Trade Tariffs: An Escalating Situation 2020-04-11T18:01:16+00:00

Economic Outlook – 8 April 2018

2018-04-08T21:38:49+00:00

US The March employment report marks another solid month of gains. The shortfall in employment growth was mostly due to swings in construction and retail payrolls. Construction payrolls added 65,000 jobs in February, which was driven by unseasonably mild weather, particularly in California. March saw the return of winter weather in the Northeast and a [...]

Economic Outlook – 8 April 2018 2018-04-08T21:38:49+00:00