imports posts

Feed

China, India to Increase Coal Imports by 78%

This sounds like an investment opportunity to me: China and India plan to increase coal imports by 78%, as reported in Bloomberg Businessweek.

Yesterday, I wrote about the worldwide shortage of copper, in the neighborhood of 500,000 metric tons. Now we have another commodity for which demand will be strong next year.

Continue reading China, India to Increase Coal Imports by 78%

U.S. House May Use 'a Stick' to Nudge China on Yuan

In upcoming talks with China, the United States will try for what seems like the 1,000th time to encourage China to let its currency, the yuan, appreciate quicker, even as a growing list of sponsors add their name to a U.S. House bill, The New York Times (NYT) reported, that would require the Obama administration to impose duties or other trade barriers in lieu of currency action by Beijing.

China keeps the yuan in a tight trading band, arguing that it must keep the yuan valued at a low level to protect embryonic companies and sectors.

The United States argues that the yuan's artificially-low value unnaturally draws in trade revenue via cheap exports that, under a market-value yuan, would flow to other countries.

Continue reading U.S. House May Use 'a Stick' to Nudge China on Yuan

U.S. Trade Deficit Surges to a 21-Month High

trade deficitThe news on the import/export front is not good. The Commerce Department reported that our trade deficit widened to $49.90 billion in July, a 21-month high. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had expected the deficit to come in at $42.7 billion.

The wider deficit was caused by a increased imports and a drop in exports. Exports shrank by 1.3% to $150.45 billion, while imports jumped to 3.1% to $200.35 billion, up from $194.42 billion.

Continue reading U.S. Trade Deficit Surges to a 21-Month High

China's Yuan Move: A Start

Now that China has agreed to a modest appreciation of the yuan, should investors expect more of the same in the quarters ahead?

At this juncture, no. The yuan's record high of 6.7980 yuan to the dollar reached Tuesday represents just a minor adjustment in Beijing's monetary policy, and that's what investors should look forward to: an incremental and very slow effort by Beijing to let the yuan appreciate, with limits.

How much will China let the yuan appreciate in a year? Perhaps 5% a year. The aforementioned may not seem like much but it does represent a Beijing response to international political pressure, primarily from the United States and the European Union.

Continue reading China's Yuan Move: A Start

IMF Calls Appreciation of China's Yuan 'Highly Desirable'

Add the International Monetary Fund to the list of nations, institutions, and officials calling for China to let its currency appreciate.

The IMF, in its revised World Economic Outlook, said an appreciation of China's currency, "appears highly desirable on its own."

The group also said a shift in China's economy away from exports and toward domestic consumption, along with structural measures to decrease savings, would be preferred, as well.

Continue reading IMF Calls Appreciation of China's Yuan 'Highly Desirable'

Survey Forecasts China to Let Yuan Rise by July

China may allow its currency, the yuan, to appreciate versus the dollar by June 30 to check inflation, according to a new Bloomberg survey.

In the survey, 12 respondents said China's central bank will allow the yuan to float freely this quarter, while five expect it to occur by September 30. The median estimate for the yuan's strengthening was a 3.1% appreciation to 6.62 yuan to the dollar by the end of 2010.

Continue reading Survey Forecasts China to Let Yuan Rise by July

U.S. Sets Import Duties on Chinese Made Steel Pipe

A few months ago, the U.S. filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission against the "dumping" of Chinese steel pipe onto the U.S. market, driving down prices and crowding out U.S. producers. The commission voted in favor to the U.S. claim.

The case was prompted by pressure from the the United Steelworkers and seven U.S. steel producers. Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers said: "China's government and exporters are being told we are fed up with their cheating on our fair trade laws and penalties for these transgressions are long overdue."

Continue reading U.S. Sets Import Duties on Chinese Made Steel Pipe

U.S. Senate's Patience on China's Yuan Policy May Be Growing Thin

The complex, delicate trade relationship between the United States and China will likely become more complex -- and heated -- in the months ahead, particular if the current mood in the U.S. Senate doesn't change.

The Senate is likely to increase pressure on President Obama to push China to let its fixed-rate currency, the yuan, appreciate, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday.

Continue reading U.S. Senate's Patience on China's Yuan Policy May Be Growing Thin

China's Exports Rise a Whopping 46%

China's exports rose 46% in February, signaling a sharp pickup in consumer demand in the United States and Europe. China reported a $7.6 billion trade surplus for the month.

This is the third month of increases in exports and the fastest in three years. Orders from the U.S., Europe and Japan accounted for almost half of the growth.

China's imports also rose by 45% over the previous year, led by crude oil for its factories.

Continue reading China's Exports Rise a Whopping 46%

Paul Krugman: China needs to end its fixed currency policy

New York Times ( NYT) columnist Paul Krugman argues quite persuasively that China needs to reconsider its fixed/tight band currency policy, and soon.

Krugman argues that not only is China encouraging the continuance of a key structural imbalance in the global economy – one that helped cause the world's first global recession since the end of World War II – it's also increasing unemployment in other nations.

Continue reading Paul Krugman: China needs to end its fixed currency policy

Under the radar: Saudi oil exports to U.S. fall to 22-year low

Under the radar: Some trends are obvious enough and visible to all investors. Others are more-subtle, but are just as potent, and these often slip 'under the radar.'

Case in point: Saudi Arabia's oil exports to the United States have fallen to a 22-year low, at 745,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August, the latest month for which data is available, from 1.14 million bpd in July, according to data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Agency. August's 745,000 bpd total is the lowest since December 1987. On a year-over-year basis (August 2008-August 2009), those exports are down about 50%.

Continue reading Under the radar: Saudi oil exports to U.S. fall to 22-year low

The looming U.S./China trade war

It all started when President Obama, under pressure from U.S. unions, slapped a 35% tariff on tire imports from China. This move angered Beijing to no end, and to the point that China is challenging the action with the World Trade Organization.

China, in retaliation, has said that it would launch an "antidumping" policy against U.S. car exports to China. U.S. car makers export only about 9,000 vehicles to China at present. However, China is now the leading auto maker in the world, and barring U.S. imports would hamper the U.S. auto export market.

Continue reading The looming U.S./China trade war

Japan's deflationary spiral: Wholesale prices plunge 8.5%

Markets throughout the world have been rallying on the expectation that the world recession is ending. Lurking underneath the surface are some disturbing events.

Japan is in a sharp deflationary spiral. The Corporate Goods Index, which measures wholesale prices, plunged 8.5%, this after a 6.7% drop in June. This is the fastest drop on record.

Let's look at other deflationary numbers. Import prices fell 33.3% in yen terms and 26.5% on a contract-currency basis. Export prices fell 15.3% in yen terms and 6.5% in contract currencies.

Continue reading Japan's deflationary spiral: Wholesale prices plunge 8.5%

Doomsday Scenario: Cheap vodka, rural America goes dark

Good morning! A New York Times article reports that cheap booze is seeing a nice sale spike as folks swap out premium or even mid-market brands for rotgut. Popov & Tonic, anyone? The Prince of Darkness over at Zero Hedge illuminates us as to the possibility that a major supplier of financing to rural electrical cooperatives could go dark, taking down dozens of utilities in the sticks with it. Maverick ratings agency Egan Jones began calling this a while back.

Continue reading Doomsday Scenario: Cheap vodka, rural America goes dark

U.S. trade deficit falls to six-year low in December on declining imports

container shipMany economists agree the U.S.'s pronounced recession, and the global recession, to some degree, were triggered by a series of imbalances. One of those imbalances is correcting now.

The U.S. trade deficit declined again in December 2008, by 4%, to $39.9 billion -- the lowest level since February 2003 -- on a substantial decline in imports, the U.S. Commerce Department announced Wednesday.

Further, for all of 2008, the trade deficit narrowed to $677.1 billion from $700.2 billion in 2007. In 2008, exports increased 12% to $1.84 trillion, while imports climbed 7.4% to $2.52 trillion.

Continue reading U.S. trade deficit falls to six-year low in December on declining imports

Next Page >

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA-89.2312,801.23
NASDAQ-23.352,903.88
S&P 500-9.311,342.64

Last updated: February 11, 2012: 05:38 AM

Hot Stocks

General Electric

18.875-0.255(-1.33)

Alcoa

10.29-0.35(-3.29)

Apple Inc

493.42+0.25(+0.05)

Google Inc 'A'

605.91-5.55(-0.91)

Bank of America

8.07-0.11(-1.34)

Wal-Mart Stores

61.90-0.06(-0.10)

Exxon Mobil Corp

83.80-1.08(-1.27)

Ford

12.44-0.25(-1.97)

Citigroup

32.925-0.735(-2.18)

IBM

192.42-0.71(-0.37)

Yahoo

16.14+0.14(+0.88)

Starbucks

48.82-0.38(-0.77)

Microsoft

30.495-0.275(-0.89)

Home Depot

45.33+0.06(+0.13)

DailyFinance Headlines

AOL Business News

BioHealth Investor Headlines

Sponsored Links

My Portfolios

Track your stocks here!

Find out why more people track their portfolios on AOL Money & Finance then anywhere else.

BloggingStocks Partners

More from AOL Money & Finance

Page Loaded in 1328956686242 ms.