ASIA: Against the backdrop of possible US sanctions on the $5.4 billion deal with Russia for S-400 air defense systems, India on Friday said it has an independent foreign policy that guides defense acquisitions in line with national security interests. Recent reports have suggested the US could impose secondary sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries […]

ASIA: Chinese regulators are reportedly pressing Jack Ma’s fintech Ant Group to share consumer data with Beijing, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Ma, founder of Alibaba and its affiliate Ant Group, hasn’t been seen in public in two months. On Monday, CNBC anchor David Faber reported that he was laying low, rather than missing. […]

ASIA: China’s economic growth could reach as high as 9 percent next year, and its rapid rebound from the coronavirus pandemic may help the economy overtake the US to become the world’s largest later this decade, analysts said. Nomura and China International Capital Corporation put China’s gross domestic product growth for 2021 at 9 percent. […]

NOTE: We wish our readers a happy and healthy holiday season. Due to decreased market activity, and some well deserved time off, we will suspend Market Talk until January 4, 2021. Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to providing you with Market Talk blog postings again in the new year! ASIA: China […]

ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 increased 49.27 points or 0.18% to 26,806.67 Shanghai increased 37.89 points or 1.13% to 3,404.87 Hang Seng increased 218.09 points or 0.82% to 26,678.38 ASX 200 increased 77.50 points or 1.16% to 6,756.70 Kospi decreased 1.36 points or -0.05% to 2,770.43 SENSEX […]

ASIA: The US Congress has officially passed the USD 740 billion defense policy bill, which among other things, included calling out Chinese aggression against India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The US House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included key components of Indian-American […]

ASIA: China’s economic recovery broadened in November as both retail sales and industrial production growth accelerated, data released on Tuesday showed. Retail sales, a key indicator of consumption trends in the world’s most populous nation, grew by 5.0 percent from a year earlier, marking the fourth successive month of expansion. The November growth rate was […]

ASIA: Despite claims of an economic recovery, Chinese state-owned companies are defaulting on their debts. A string of missed debt repayments by major firms has shaken local as well as global markets. State firms defaulted on a record $6.1 billion worth of bonds between January and October, according to Fitch Ratings. That’s about as much […]

  ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 decreased 61.70 points or -0.23% to 26,756.24 Shanghai increased 1.31 points or 0.04% to 3,373.28 Hang Seng decreased 92.25 points or -0.35% to 26,410.59 ASX 200 decreased 45.40 points or -0.67% to 6,683.10 Kospi decreased 9.01 points or -0.33% to 2,746.46 […]

  ASIA: China’s economy is growing stronger after the country posted a $75.4 billion trade surplus in November. Exports from China have risen 21.1% YoY, and was pushed especially by US consumers (46% increase) despite tariffs and muddled relations. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced today that the US will sanction 14 top Chinese […]