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Economics

No deal is better than bad deal on Brexit

BENJAMIN ONG  |  WEDNESDAY, 18 JAN 2017
UK Prime Minister Theresa May's speech before EU ambassadors in London last night ended months of speculation over whether Brexit would be hard, soft, or something in-between. The UK will cut ? and cut clean. "Brexit means Brexit."

Rising exports drive wider surplus

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 17 JAN 2017
Things continue to look up in the Eurozone. Eurostat reported that the region's trade surplus widened to ?25.9 billion in November from ?20.2 billion in the previous month and ?22.9 billion in November 2015.

Machineries not in order

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 17 JAN 2017
Just when we thought the sun's starting to shine. Japan private core machinery orders (orders excluding ships and electrical equipment) - a leading indicator of business investment - dropped by 5.1% in the month of November.

A-dollar rising

BENJAMIN ONG  |  MONDAY, 16 JAN 2017
"The A$ will go up, if not, it will go down, otherwise it will trade sideways."

Last chance to attend Chief Economists Forum

DARREN SNYDER  |  FRIDAY, 13 JAN 2017
The 2017 Financial Standard Chief Economists Forum is once again set to unveil the thoughts and forecasts from some of the top economic minds in Australia and the globe.

Credit where credit is not due

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 13 JAN 2017
Chinese banks extended some CNY1.04 trillion in new yuan loans in December, up from CNY0.79 in the previous month and far higher than market expectations for a reduction to CNY0.68 trillion.

Tax breaks drive China car sales

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 13 JAN 2017
Data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed total car sales increased by 9.5% in the month of December and by 13.7% for the full-year 2016 - the fastest since 2013.

Energy fuels US cross-border inflation

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 13 JAN 2017
The price of goods and services bought and sold by America from its trading partners lifted in December - both largely driven by surging energy prices.

The UK's still OK

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 12 JAN 2017
Along with the latest improvement in business and consumer confidence and PMI surveys, industrial and manufacturing output has bounced back.

Sun rising in Japan

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 12 JAN 2017
Japanese consumer confidence rose to a reading of 43.1 in December from 40.9 in the previous month supported by a rally in the stock market and the yen's depreciation versus the US dollar.