President Trump argues that too many US workers have lost their jobs to foreign peers as companies have offshored manufacturing. US companies need to bring those jobs back and, in doing so, restore America’s industrial greatness. His diagnosis isn’t altogether wrong: fewer companies manufacture cars, for instance, in the US than was previously the case. But this thesis is too simplistic.
President Donald Trump moved Monday to pull the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership; the 12-nation trade deal was a linchpin of former President Barack Obama’s Asia policy.
Among a series of executive orders, the first was a memo on withdrawing from the vast TPP trade pact, which aimed to set trade rules for the 21st century and bind US allies against growing Chinese economic clout.
"We’re going to stop the ridiculous trade deals that have taken everybody out of our country and taken companies out of our country," the Republican president said as he met with union leaders in the White House’s Roosevelt Room.
The GBP/USD currency pair confirmed yesterday’s scenario, having climbed back above the 1.23 major level and even completely ignoring the immediate resistance at 1.2324. Friday brings a lot of uncertainty, as volatility direction is likely to be caused by Trump’s speech during his inauguration later today. From a technical perspective we should see more upside movement, despite a group of strong resistances located just beyond the 1.24 handle. On the other hand, the US Dollar could receive a solid boost, with the Cable seen dropping as low as 1.21 in the worst case scenario.
George Soros, on the sideline of Davos Forum, gave his views on the state of the world. The EU, according to billionaire investor, is disintegrating following last year’s Brexit vote and Italian referendum, a course that must be reversed. The trading bloc has become dysfunctional because it is governed by laws that are "not appropriate to the current circumstances" and not easily changed, he said.
"If Europe breaks down, the consequences will be very dire," the investor said. "But I do see a way it could be saved, and this is also recognized by many of the people in Brussels. They can’t say so publicly, but they know that Europe is not functioning."
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s executive chairman Jack Ma said the company’s ambitions to link up with Hollywood remain strong and also urged people to give President-Elect Donald Trump “some time” because “he’s listening.”
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, the Chinese billionaire said Alibaba had a debate five years ago about what Chinese people want. “Happiness and health,” he said. “We believe the movie industry brings happiness. Today, no one is happy. Rich people aren’t happy. Poor people aren’t happy. At least when I watch a movie I’m happy.”
Hedge fund legend George Soros lost a lot of money after the election of Donald Trump, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
Sources familiar with the hedge fund manager’s trading said he remained cautious going into the November election and then made the mistake of becoming more bearish immediately after Mr. Trump’s win.
The stock market rallied on expectations that Mr. Trump’s policies would boost the economy, causing Mr. Soros’ trading positions to incur losses approaching $1 billion, sources told The Journal.
Ford is canceling plans to build a new $1.6 billion factory in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and will instead invest some of that money in a U.S. factory that will build new electric and autonomous vehicles.
Ford is investing $700 million to expand its Flat Rock assembly plant and hire 700 new workers to build self-driving and electric vehicles along with the Mustang and Lincoln Continental already produced at the Downriver site.
Fields said Ford will invest $700 million in the Flat Rock plant to make hybrid, electric and autonomous vehicles. It will also hire around 700 workers starting in 2018. In announcing the Michigan expansion, Fields noted Trump’s promise to make the U.S. more competitive by lowering taxes and easing regulations.
The big event of November was, of course, the election of Donald Trump in the United States. The first thing to keep in mind is the uncertainty surrounding his plans, especially his economic programme. Second, there can be a wide gap between what a candidate says and what he does, once in office. That said, Trump’s statements do provide us with a general outline of at least three complementary scenarios.
