China

Copper, Oil & China

Apr 23, 2024 2 min read paid

Is the global economy suddenly taking off? It seems that way given the sudden vertical ascent of several metals prices, particularly those of copper, aluminum, tin, and zinc. On the other hand, the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil has slipped recently, suggesting that its recent advance had more to do with a rising geopolitical risk premium than a resurgence of global growth (chart). Our thesis is that

Ed Yardeni

PPI Not As Hot As CPI

Apr 11, 2024 2 min read paid

Today's PPI report threw some cold water on yesterday's hotter-than-expected CPI. Our opinion is that the Fed won't be lowering interest rates this year because the economy and labor market will remain strong. Yesterday's CPI confirmed our conclusion based on the wrong premise. We aren't expecting inflation to get stuck above the Fed's 2.0% target. We think

Ed Yardeni

Two of the Magnificent 7 Get Shanghaied

Mar 5, 2024 2 min read paid

Two of the Magnificent-7 are less magnificent. That's because China is in a recession and Chinese consumers are buying fewer of Apple's iPhones and Tesla's EVs. These two companies are also facing more competition from Chinese producers of similar consumer goods. So, they are down 11.6% and 27.3% ytd. Also down by 5.0% ytd is Alphabet, which is deemed to be

Ed Yardeni

China: Pushing On A String?

Mar 4, 2024 2 min read paid

In recent weeks, the Chinese government has introduced several measures to prop up the stock market. This week, the government was expected to announce measures aimed at boosting the economy. In a surprise announcement today, a spokesman said China’s Premier Li Qiang will not brief the media at the close of this year’s annual parliamentary meeting, which begins on Tuesday in Beijing. The government may be concerned that

Ed Yardeni

Huge Negative Wealth Effect In China

Jan 23, 2024 2 min read

China might be in a recession or going into one. That’s a controversial statement since real GDP rose 5.2% y/y during Q4-2023, according to the official data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS). The NBS also reported that industrial production rose 6.8% y/y in December and that inflation-adjusted retail sales increased 7.7% last month (chart). Those are not recession readings. China’

Ed Yardeni

What Is Powell Thinking?

Jan 17, 2024 3 min read paid

This question was partially answered yesterday in a speech by Fed Governor Christopher Waller: "This cycle, however, with economic activity and labor markets in good shape and inflation coming down gradually to 2 percent, I see no reason to move as quickly or cut as rapidly as in the past. The healthy state of the economy provides the flexibility to lower the (nominal) policy rate to keep the real

Ed Yardeni

Prepare For A Recession & Debt Crisis In 2024

Dec 26, 2023 2 min read paid

While almost everyone (except us) has been waiting for a recession and debt crisis in the United States, we've observed that this calamity has been unfolding in China since early 2023 and will probably continue and worsen in 2024. Unlike the Great Financial Crisis, when the US debt crisis went global, China's debt crisis should remain local. However, China's recession is weighing on global

Ed Yardeni

Inflation: China Is Killing It

Dec 18, 2023 2 min read paid

What have we learned about inflation over the past year? One of the main reasons that the US doesn't need to have a recession to bring down inflation is that China is having the recession for us. China's property bubble has burst, and the deflationary consequences are far greater and more global than those following the bursting of similar bubbles in Japan during the late 1980s

Ed Yardeni

Continue To Underweight Commodities & Emerging Markets In Global Portfolios

Dec 11, 2023 2 min read

The global economy is growing, but at a slow pace. Much of the weakness is attributable to the recessions in China and Europe. US economic growth is slowing from Q3’s rapid pace. Much of the weakness is structural in China but cyclical in the US and Europe. The latter two are likely to grow in 2024, but China will probably remain weak. This implies that commodities and emerging markets

Ed Yardeni

China: The World's Largest Nursing Home

Nov 27, 2023 2 min read

China’s economy is in a property-led and fertility-led depression. That’s bad news for China’s people and for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) but benefits countries that import Chinese goods at depressed prices. China’s weak economy is good news for the US in particular, helping to moderate goods inflation without a recession here, a.k.a. "immaculate disinflation." It would be in China’s interest

Ed Yardeni

Market Call: Winning Streak For The Bulls

Nov 26, 2023 2 min read paid

We expect that the Santa Claus rally in stock prices that started on October 27 will continue over the rest of this year. It should be driven by the realization that inflation can and is moderating without a recession. That can only happen if productivity growth is making a comeback as we expect. China's economic woes are also an important source of "immaculate disinflation" for the

Ed Yardeni

Oil's Slippery Slope

Nov 7, 2023 2 min read paid

The NYMEX nearby futures price of a barrel of crude oil peaked this year at $93.68 on September 27. Notwithstanding the war that started between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the price is down $16.27 from that peak to $77.42. That’s even though Saudi Arabia and Russia reduced their exports during the summer and maintained their cuts through yearend. One reason for this development is

Ed Yardeni
Eric Wallerstein

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