Key points Vietnam has emerged as a large beneficiary amid the U.S.-China trade deal. A new deal is solidifying Hanoi’s privileged position. Vietnam and the European Union on Sunday inked a first-of-its-kind trade deal that will eliminate 99% of tariffs on goods imported to the bloc. The U.S. government is signaling that it could be…
Author: Finterest
Ep 46: Chin Up, China
What’s Going On Here? China’s economy grew 6.2% in the second quarter of 2019 versus a year before (its slowest rate since the end of the Cold War). What Does This Mean? While the growth rate was in line with economists’ expectations and with China’s target of 6-6.5% for 2019 as a whole – a close inspection of the…
Ep 45: Vietnam Seeks to Sell Stake in Military Commercial Bank
What’s going on here? Vietnam’s government is looking to sell part of its stake in Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MBB ∧ 0.47%) – a large local lender with a market capitalization of $2 billion. Who is Military Commercial Bank The Military Commercial Bank is owned of 44% by the government; 11% by Domestic and foreign…
Ep 44: Pepsi Looks A Snack
What’s Going On Here? PepsiCo reported better-than-expected second-quarter sales and profit – but its shares didn’t fizz. What Does This Mean? Last quarter, Pepsi’s “organic” revenue growth (excluding the impact of bought businesses and currency swings – rising US dollar’s value) was 4.5%, beating investors’ forecasts. Compared to the same time last year, Pepsi sold more actual products, and,…
Ep 43: We The People
What’s Going On Here? A new report from investment bank Morgan Stanley advises clients to shy away from stocks – but WeWork may have a workaround for that… What Does This Mean? Global stock markets are up 16% this year. But with economic conditions worsening worldwide, Morgan Stanley thinks that company profit forecasts look overly optimistic – and so…
Ep 42: Wait Up, America
What’s Going On Here? It’s official: European stocks have entered a “bull market”. And poor recent economic data may actually be helping. Bull market is a market in which share prices are rising, encouraging buying. What Does This Mean? The stock prices of Europe’s largest companies had risen 20% above their December doldrums. That entry into a bull…
Ep 41: Deutsche Blank
What’s Going On Here? The $1 billion of profit Deutsche Bank‘s investors were expecting this year will probably be a loss instead. What Does This Mean? Deutsche Bank’s been struggling for a while: losing market share and getting embroiled in money laundering scandals. Money laundering is the process of concealing the origins of money obtained illegally by passing it through a…
Ep 40: Consumer confidence drops more than expected
What’s going on here? A key measure of the American economy – consumer confidence index – declined to 121.5 in June (more than the expected decline to 131.1) after three consecutive months of increases as consumers saw the trade war with China as an increased risk. What does that mean? “The escalation in trade and tariff tensions earlier…
Ep 39: Department stores need more than touch-ups
What’s going on here? A slew of retail earnings the past two weeks makes clear that while Americans continue to shop, they increasingly aren’t ringing registers at department stores. Department stores turned in disappointing first-quarter results: Sales at Kohl’s fell 3.4% (far steeper than the expected 0.2% drop); Penney’s same-store sales dropped 5.5% (worse than the expected…
Ep 38: Taco Bell will not be adding fake meat to its menu
What’s going on here? Taco Bell has long had a reputation as vegetarian-friendly, but it’s not planning on adding any plant-based meat substitutes from Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods to its menu. What does it mean? At the beginning of 2019, Taco Bell said it would begin testing a vegetarian menu, which came around the same…
with HT 