Asian currencies have just suffered their worst quarterly performance since the height of the global financial crisis in 2008. Amid market turmoil, Asian currencies were slammed in the third quarter, driven by a slowdown in economic growth from China — including devaluations of its yuan, falling oil prices and commodity prices, and concerns as the U.S. Federal Reserve moved closer to a hike in its near-zero interest … Continue reading
By Yukon Huang, Carnegie Endowment There are conflicts among the many objectives shaping China’s exchange rate policy. Politically, China’s leaders are keen on having the renminbi become a major international currency. For this purpose, the renminbi needs to be strong and stable enough that others will use it to settle trade balances and as a reserve … Continue reading
By Pepe Escobar Let’s start with some classic Russian politics. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov is drawing up Russia’s economic strategy for 2016, including the government budget. Siluanov – essentially a liberal, in favor of foreign investment – will present his proposals to the Kremlin by the end of this month. So far, nothing spectacular. But then, … Continue reading
Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved one step closer to creating an integrated currency market in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed after the breakup of the Soviet Union. On Friday, Putin submitted a draft law, named “On Ratification of the Agreement on Cooperation in Organizing … Continue reading
By Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya The Chinese are in the process of displacing the monopoly of the US dollar. They are dropping their US Treasury bonds, stockpiling gold reserves, and opening regional distribution banks for their own national currency. This will give them easier access to capital markets and insulate them from financial manipulation by Washington and … Continue reading
By Frank Shostak Earlier this month, the Chinese government decided to depreciate its currency on three consecutive occasions. On August 13, the price of the US dollar was trading at 6.413 — an increase of 3.3 percent against July. The key factor behind the central bank’s lowering of the yuan is a sharp decline in the … Continue reading
By Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital China’s recent move to devalue the yuan has sent shock waves through the global financial markets and has convinced most observers that a new front in the global currency wars has begun. The move has caused many observes to envision a new round of competitive devaluations around the globe in … Continue reading