Global Markets

A briefing on the major global economic issues that will confront world leaders as they gather for the upcoming 2010 Seoul G-20 Summit.

In a display of the increasing role that financial, trade and economic policy holds in US foreign policy, President Obama in the first leg of his Asian tour announced a host of new trade deals with India supporting tens of thousands of US jobs as he began a 10-day trip through Asia — demonstrating the importance of global trade to the sluggish US economy.

A rising chorus of central bank policy-makers in emerging market nations criticized the Federal Reserve on Thursday for its decision to pump more money into the U.S. economy – a monetary policy known as Quantitative Easing – a measure that they fear could escalate the worrisome influx of cash into fast-growing economies around the world.

Global Markets were shorting US futures after the results of US national elections, where the Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives, and made gains in the Senate – though Democrats are still in control. The Markets are looking ahead to Fed QE policy and the G-20 meeting in South Korea later this week.

For anyone wondering what exactly Jon Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity” is going to be about and why I’m going (and you should too), “The Daily Show” anchor cleared up at least what it is not going to be about, according to Bill Carter’s Media Decoder blog. “It is in fact not a political rally,” […]

“I believe we are at the end of the Free Market.” That startling statement kicked off the FPA’s final keynote speaker on Monday afternoon. Author and geopolitical strategist Ian Bremmer, Ph.D.

‘Is this a currency war or what? Fast-growing nations like Thailand are trying to devalue their exchange rates to bolster their export-driven economies. In Washington, where “strong dollar” has been the mantra for years, policy makers are taking steps that could make the already weak dollar weaker still. These uncoordinated moves among global central banks to weaken their respective currencies is precipitating a global currency war.

Income inequality in the US is growing at an alarming rate as it did prior to the Great Depression precipitated by the Wall Street crash of 1929. Where will it all lead..??

There are mounting anxieties in Global capital markets over the divergence between China’s economic policies – specifically, its currency exchange rate policies — and the relationship that currency valuation has to a sputtering economic recovery in the rich Western economies.

Even as voters rage and candidates put up ads against government bailouts, the reviled mother of them all — the $700 billion lifeline to banks, insurance and auto companies — will expire after Sunday at a fraction of that cost, and could conceivably earn taxpayers a profit. (From the New York Times)

According to the most recent Gallup Poll of people’s ever increasing distrust in the mass media. From 46% in 1998, the percentage of people who indicate they have “not very much/none at all” trust in mass media has grown to a stunning 57% currently. This is an all time record, as the general public perception toward the MSM has flipped over the past decade.

While many advanced economies, ours included, struggles to revive its flagging economy, one country is proving the exception to the global recession, and no, it’s not China: it’s Brazil. TThhe South American country appears unstoppable in boosting domestic, as well as foreign investments in fueling the nation’s stellar economic growth and emergence as a major global player.

Report in NY Times about the impending lay-off of over 500,000 employees was jarring in the context of our own stagnant economy. The junior Castro brother, Raúl, is following through on his previous pledges to make Cuba’s centralized, Socialist economy more efficient and to open up opportunities to its enterprising citizens. This begs the question if Cuba will replicate China’s success with its State capitalism model.

After Japan’s anemic 0.1% economic growth in the 2Q, China has now supplanted its ancient rival as the world’s second-largest economy marking another milestone in the country’s transformation from an impoverished ‘Third World’ communist state to global economic superpower, and carries with it broad geopolitical implications.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday that the outlook for the economy remains “unusually uncertain” as the US gauge of future economic activity dropped in June, the second decline in past 3 months, suggesting the economic recovery is weakening.