World Economy
The 150th anniversary of the publication of Capital
By Nick Beams, 18 September 2017
September 14 was the 150th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Capital by Karl Marx. It marked a turning point in mankind’s intellectual and historical development.
Growing warnings of a stock market bubble
By Nick Beams, 15 September 2017
US markets are in their second-longest bull run in history, indicating a growing divergence between financial markets and the underlying real economy.
ECB makes first move to wind back quantitative easing
By Nick Beams, 9 September 2017
The class agenda of the ECB emerged when president Mario Draghi called for the further elimination of job protection as he backed reforms by the Macron presidency in France.
After the financial crisis: How the ultra-wealthy have prospered
By Nick Beams, 31 August 2017
The word “recovery” is frequently used to describe the state of the world economy, but what it really reveals is the position of the ultra-wealthy.
Central bankers at Jackson Hole conference: What was not said and why
By Nick Beams, 28 August 2017
In their speeches, neither Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen nor European Central Bank head Mario Draghi even mentioned the massive asset purchases carried out over the past eight years.
Amid warnings of a new financial crash, Fed Chairwoman promotes illusions at Jackson Hole conference
By Nick Beams, 26 August 2017
Yellen extolled the achievements of the Federal Reserve in putting in place measures to prevent a recurrence of the 2008 financial crisis.
Behind the political warfare in the US: Rising fears of financial collapse, social unrest
By Nick Beams, 22 August 2017
There are growing concerns in US and global financial circles that the rise in the US stock market that accelerated with the election of Donald Trump is heading for a major downturn.
US takes major step toward trade war with China
By Nick Beams, 21 August 2017
Stephen Bannon has been forced out as Trump’s chief strategist, but his agenda of economic warfare against China has been taken up by the administration.
IMF sharpens its warning on “dangerous” Chinese debt growth
By Nick Beams, 18 August 2017
According to the IMF, the increased Chinese debt, resulting from government efforts to stimulate the economy, could lead to a financial crisis.
European contaminated eggs scandal broadens
By Anna Rombach, 16 August 2017
Eggs contaminated with the toxic insecticide Fipronil have now been found in many European countries and in Hong Kong.
Amazon CEO Bezos makes $1.4 billion Thursday morning, briefly becoming world’s richest person
By Evan Blake, 28 July 2017
Bezos’s ascension to the heights of society rests on the exploitation of Amazon’s hundreds of thousands of workers worldwide.
IMF global outlook downgrades US growth prospects
By Nick Beams, 25 July 2017
A decade after the global financial crisis, growth rates remain well below the levels of 2008, with no sign of a return to the previous levels in the future.
US-China trade talks conclude in acrimony
By Nick Beams, 22 July 2017
A former White House advisor said the meeting had “all the signs—no joint statement, or press conference, no outcomes—of serious and sustained tensions rapidly emerging due to deep differences.”
Trump administration to pursue protectionist agenda in NAFTA renegotiation
By Roger Jordan, 21 July 2017
Washington intends to use the talks to extract concessions from corporate America’s Canadian and Mexican rivals and to forge a US-led trade bloc to confront its global rivals.
ECB offers reassurance to anxious financial markets
By Nick Beams, 21 July 2017
ECB president Mario Draghi said there were indications of economic growth but this was yet to translate into underlying inflation dynamics.
Bank for International Settlements voices concern over finance markets
By Nick Beams, 19 July 2017
The BIS has warned that the slow pace in normalising central bank interest rates and ending quantitative easing is setting up financial markets for a shock when interest rates do rise.
Study finds financial parasitism contributes to the high cost of drugs
By Nick Beams, 18 July 2017
According to the authors of a recent study, the reason for the high cost of drugs in the US is the prevalence of a “social disease” called “maximising shareholder value.”
Transatlantic tensions dominate G20 summit
By Nick Beams, 10 July 2017
Despite cobbling together a unanimous resolution, the G20 summit was, by any measure, the most fractious meeting of major political leaders in the post-war period.
Global financial parasitism and the political strategy of the working class
By Nick Beams, 10 July 2017
The statement “Palace coup or class struggle: The political crisis in Washington and the strategy of the working class,” issued by the SEP (US), is grounded on the “life situation” facing the working class, resulting from the rise of financial parasitism and its domination over every aspect of economic and social life.
The oligarchs assemble in Hamburg
By Alex Lantier, 8 July 2017
Ringed by tens of thousands of heavily-armed police, the representatives of the global financial oligarchy gathered in Hamburg to hurl recriminations at one another.
Trump speech in Poland fans conflict with Germany, Russia
By Patrick Martin, 7 July 2017
The US president associated himself fully with the ultra-right policies pursued by the nationalistic PiS government in Warsaw.
Trade conflicts hang over G20 summit
By Nick Beams, 7 July 2017
The steel issue is only the sharpest expression of a wider conflict that goes to the very nature of trade relations among the major powers.
Bitter conflicts dominate G20 summit in Germany
By Bill Van Auken, 7 July 2017
The G20 summit convenes today in Hamburg, Germany in an atmosphere of global crisis and multisided conflicts that point to the emergence of a new prewar period.
Xi’s visit to Berlin highlights growing US-EU conflicts before G20 summit
By Alex Lantier, 6 July 2017
As Trump arrived in Poland, Xi’s state visit in Berlin highlighted growing US-EU tensions over Asia.
Bank for International Settlements warns on low interest rate regime
By Nick Beams, 27 June 2017
While noting an upturn in the global economy, the BIS said sentiment had swung more than facts and a series of “tensions” and “paradoxes” remained.
Chinese authorities launch probe into financial system fearing “Lehman moment”
By Nick Beams, 24 June 2017
The Beijing government is concerned about purchases of overseas assets using financial mechanisms outside their control.
European Central Bank still failing to meet inflation objective
By Nick Beams, 10 June 2017
Structural changes in the European economy mean low wages along with part-time and casual employment are becoming the “new normal.”
Australian economy barely avoids contraction
By Mike Head, 8 June 2017
Without spending by deeply-indebted households, the country would officially be in recession.
Uncertainty grows over US Fed’s interest rate moves
By Nick Beams, 6 June 2017
Far-reaching structural changes in the economy, above all the rise of low-paid part-time labour, have undermined the assumptions on which the Fed’s policies have been based.
Huge job losses loom in India’s IT sector
By Joy Bose and Kranti Kumara, 3 June 2017
According to industry reports, India’s IT sector could eliminate 600,000 jobs over the next three years.
The rift between Germany and America: A “watershed” moment
By Nick Beams, 29 May 2017
While there have been divergences at previous G7 meetings, this year the participants were unable to paper over their differences in the final communiqué.
Transatlantic tensions dominate G7 summit
By Peter Schwarz, 27 May 2017
Nearly a decade after the 2008 financial crisis, the conflicting interests among the imperialist powers have reached a point at which they can no longer be reconciled through talks and diplomacy.
Moody’s downgrades China’s debt rating
By Nick Beams, 26 May 2017
The sharp reaction of the Chinese finance ministry to the Moody’s downgrade decision signifies that that economic and political contradictions facing the Xi Jinping regime are increasing.
Trade splits emerge at APEC meeting
By Nick Beams, 22 May 2017
Held over the weekend, the meeting of trade ministers from the 21 members of APEC abandoned any commitment to resist protectionism.
Productivity figures and job cuts expose Trump’s growth fraud
By Nick Beams, 19 May 2017
US productivity growth is running at around one third its level before the global financial crisis of 2008.
Ford to cut as many as 20,000 jobs worldwide
By Jerry White, 17 May 2017
The job cuts explode the myth propagated by the Trump administration and the news media about the US economy reaching “full employment.”
China hosts international launch of One Belt, One Road initiative
By Nick Beams, 16 May 2017
In launching the initiative, Chinese president Xi Jinping emphasised the need for “win-win co-operation,” but there are significant tensions surrounding the project.
Apple valuation surges to over $800 billion
By Nick Beams, 12 May 2017
Apple’s market valuation and cash holdings illustrate a major shift in the mode of profit accumulation and how share values increasingly result from financial manipulation.
Apple’s $257 billion cash hoard and parasitic accumulation
By Nick Beams, 5 May 2017
There is conjecture about what Apple intends to do with its cash pile, but one thing is certain: it will be used for forms of speculation and financial manipulation.
May Day 2017
The rise of economic nationalism and protectionism
By Nick Beams, 2 May 2017
The historic crisis of the global capitalist system is now producing the very conditions that led to the economic conflicts of the 1930s and the eruption of war in 1939.
Trump steps up trade war over NAFTA
By Nick Beams, 28 April 2017
The Trump administration has signalled that it will take an aggressive economic nationalist stance in negotiations on NAFTA after making moves to withdraw altogether.
Rail companies Bombardier and Siemens plan merger
By Gustav Kemper, 25 April 2017
Since the beginning of 2017, the two rail companies have been engaged in secret merger negotiations behind the backs of their employees.
IMF meeting signals descent into global trade war
By Nick Beams, 24 April 2017
Pledges to “resist protectionism,” long included in statements issued by the world’s major global economic institutions, are now regarded as too controversial.
Latest economic data dampen US growth prospects
By Nick Beams, 22 April 2017
The stock market has lifted but consumer spending is falling and industrial production is flat.
Small uptick in growth but major downside risks remain, says IMF
By Nick Beams, 20 April 2017
The IMF reports make clear that none of the underlying problems that have beset the world economy since the eruption of the global financial crisis in 2008 has been resolved.
Trade spat precedes IMF meeting
By Nick Beams, 18 April 2017
While forecasting a “cyclical recovery”, IMF managing director, Christine Lagarde has said a “sword of protectionism” hangs over the world economy.
The domination of finance capital: Who rules the world?
By Nick Beams, 15 April 2017
There is no meaningful distinction between industrial and finance capital because, in the end, all capital is finance capital, an important study has found.
BBC documentary exposes Bank of England’s role at centre of Libor-fixing scandal
By Jean Shaoul, 13 April 2017
The Libor scandal revealed not only the criminality of the global financial system centred in London, but the massive web of corruption and complicity involving governments and financial regulators the world over.
IMF documents labour’s declining share of global income
By Nick Beams, 12 April 2017
The IMF analysis of labour’s share of income is consistent with the essential logic of capital as revealed by Marx.
China offers plan to ease trade tensions with US
By Nick Beams, 11 April 2017
Trump officials struck a conciliatory tone following discussions on trade with Chinese president Xi Jinping, but Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said he expected “tangible results.”
Trump steps up trade war agenda
By Nick Beams, 1 April 2017
US President Donald Trump signed two protectionist executive orders Friday, signalling a return to the kind of measures that proved so disastrous in the 1930s.
Market turbulence fuels warnings on health of global economy
By Nick Beams, 30 March 2017
Two major international economic organisations, the IMF and the OECD, have voiced concerns about the impact of the US protectionist trade agenda on the stability of the world economy.
G20 conflict over protectionism: From post-war to pre-war capitalism
By Nick Beams, 24 March 2017
The post-World War II economic and trading order, constructed in the main by the US, was the product of a push to prevent the kind of protectionist and trade war measures that led to the Second World War.
Concerns over Trump crisis roil financial markets
By Barry Grey, 23 March 2017
Whatever the short-term trend on the financial markets, Tuesday’s downturn reflected the underlying unsustainability of the massively inflated stock valuations.
US blocks statement opposing protectionism in G20 communiqué
By Nick Beams, 20 March 2017
While attempts were made by G20 finance ministers to downplay the significance of the breach with the US, the decision to drop resistance to protectionism is a significant step towards a global trade war.
Trade talks in Chile on continuing TPP without the US
By James Cogan, 18 March 2017
Despite concerns expressed about protectionism, the most obvious feature of the Chile summit was the manner in which various states pursued their own national trade agendas.
European Central Bank maintains a balancing act
By Nick Beams, 10 March 2017
The ECB retained its negative base interest rate, placing it on a divergent path from the US Federal Reserve.
Trump administration document lays out trade war agenda
By Nick Beams, 7 March 2017
The Trump administration has issued a document making clear that it is taking aim at the World Trade Organisation and agreements that have governed international trade in the post-World War II period.
China lowers economic growth target
By Nick Beams, 6 March 2017
The Chinese government has cut its target in an attempt to address growing problems in the country’s financial system.
The Snap IPO: Trump agenda fuels an orgy of speculation
By Nick Beams, 3 March 2017
The massive rise in Snap Inc. stock took place amidst a surge in US markets, which has seen $3 trillion added to share values since the election of Trump.
Trump steps up trade war agenda
By Nick Beams, 28 February 2017
The objective logic of Trump’s agenda of economic war, based on “America First” leads inexorably to military conflict.
Trade growth slows to lowest level since global financial crisis
By Nick Beams, 23 February 2017
A World Bank report found that growing political uncertainty was a significant factor in the further decline in world trade growth in 2016.
Sri Lankan elite discusses “frightening economic situation”
By Saman Gunadasa, 22 February 2017
The country has been severely hit by the continuing global downturn and a prolonged drought that has destroyed key crops and driven up the prices of staple foods.
Trump’s “America First” policies and the global eruption of economic nationalism
By Nick Beams, 21 February 2017
Speaking on behalf of European capital, the London-based Financial Times has described the trade policies of the Trump administration as a “clear and present danger” to the global trading and monetary system.
Trump scraps TPP and outlines trade war agenda
By Mike Head, 23 January 2017
Ending the Trans-Pacific Partnership is not a retreat into US isolationism but a ramping up of the offensive, commenced under Obama, to reassert American hegemony in Asia.
Davos annual summit: A social order confronting a growing crisis
By Nick Beams, 21 January 2017
The atmosphere at the World Economic Forum was a mixture of bewilderment over the disintegration of the present global order, coupled with fears as to where it might be leading.
India’s demonetisation scheme causing mass hardship
By Kranti Kumara, 18 January 2017
Demonitisation has forced farmers to sell to wholesalers at fire-sale prices, depressed consumer demand, and led cash-short employers to lay off workers en masse.
Oxfam issues report on eve of Davos conference
Eight billionaires control as much wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population
By Nick Beams, 17 January 2017
The report, released as the world’s billionaires converge on Davos, Switzerland, reveals that global inequality is even more pronounced than previously recognized.
Report to Davos summit: Rising inequality threatens “market capitalism”
By Nick Beams, 14 January 2017
The central theme of the World Economic Forum report for this year’s annual gathering of the global elites is that the very legitimacy of “market capitalism” is being called into question.
Economic nationalism and the breakdown of the post-war order
By Nick Beams, 11 January 2017
The United States was the guarantor of the post-war economic order based on the lowering of tariffs and trade barriers under the rubric of “free trade,” but Trump’s “America First” agenda signals the collapse of that order.
World’s richest increased their wealth by $237 billion in 2016
By Nick Beams, 29 December 2016
US billionaires alone have increased their wealth by $77 billion due to the rise in the stock market since the election of Trump less than two months ago.
No “Peace on Earth” in 2016
By Andre Damon, 24 December 2016
The vast scale of global violence this past year will be eclipsed only by what next year threatens to bring.
IMF chief Christine Lagarde let off scot-free after negligence conviction
By Alex Lantier, 20 December 2016
As French finance minister in 2008, Lagarde failed to do due diligence to oppose calls for a €400 million state payoff to corporate raider Bernard Tapie.
Federal Reserve hikes key rate, signals faster monetary tightening
By Barry Grey, 15 December 2016
Despite the Fed’s pledge to keep interest rates below previous norms, there were indications that, in the face of Trump’s inflationary policies, it could move quickly in the opposite direction.
Markets pushed to record highs on Trump surge
By Nick Beams, 12 December 2016
The chief component in the rise in the Dow over the past month has been a 33 percent surge in shares of Goldman Sachs, accounting for 29 percent of the stock index’s ascent.
European Central Bank rejects request by Italy for more time to rescue ailing lender
By Nick Beams, 10 December 2016
The move increases the odds of a government bailout that would impose major losses on small investors and bondholders.
European Central Bank cuts asset purchases but insists “quantitative easing” continues
By Nick Beams, 9 December 2016
President Mario Draghi emphasised that “uncertainty prevails everywhere” and it was very difficult to assess the long-term impact of the “radically new administration” in the US.
Italian Prime Minister Renzi officially resigns
By Marianne Arens, 8 December 2016
Italy’s Senate voted in favour of the budget and thus cleared the way for Renzi’s resignation.
European Union finance ministers insist on more austerity
By Julie Hyland, 7 December 2016
Following seven years of austerity, the EU insists that Athens impose an extra €4.2 billion in austerity savings and further labour reforms, including abolishing collective bargaining.
OPEC announces deal to cut oil production
By Nick Beams, 1 December 2016
The OPEC negotiations were marked by considerable tension, with warnings that oil price could fall to as low as $20 per barrel if no agreement were reached.
"No" vote in Italian referendum could spark banking crisis
By Nick Beams, 29 November 2016
Finance capital sees the referendum as a test of whether Prime Minister Renzi can push though “market restructuring” of the banking system and deepen attacks on the working class.
Election of Donald Trump foreshadows trade war in Asia
By Peter Symonds, 25 November 2016
Trump has not only sunk the Trans Pacific Partnership but called into question the entire basis of the post-World War II order in the Asia Pacific.
Trump’s election overshadows Asia-Pacific summit
By Mike Head, 21 November 2016
The meeting was dominated by anxiety and uncertainty in the face of an incoming Trump administration based on protectionist and nationalist policies.
Fed set to lift key interest rate
By Nick Beams, 19 November 2016
The rise in interest rates and US bond yields could have major international implications, particularly for emerging markets.
Trump victory batters emerging markets
By Nick Beams, 14 November 2016
The decline in emerging bond and currency markets hit Latin America, South Africa and Asia, driven by fears of rising interest rates and protectionist measures in the US.
Dow hits record high as Wall Street celebrates Trump victory
By Nick Beams, 11 November 2016
The sharp rise in stock prices is being driven both by Trump’s pro-corporate policies and the support he has received from the Democratic Party establishment.
Big market swings after Trump's election
By Nick Beams, 10 November 2016
After initial fears of a market plunge, Wall Street reached near-record highs as investors decided that Trump’s policies could provide a road to increased wealth.
Fed keeps rates on hold as disarray over central bank policies increases
By Nick Beams, 3 November 2016
The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates on hold amid continuing uncertainty about the direction of policies in Europe and Japan.
Selloff in global bond markets
By Nick Beams, 31 October 2016
Significant falls in the price of bonds last week could be the sign of greater turbulence to come amid uncertainty about the monetary policies of the world’s central banks.
China growth on target but debt concerns mount
By Nick Beams, 27 October 2016
Chinese firms are estimated to have about $18 trillion worth of debt, equivalent to 170 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
EU crisis deepens as trade deal with Canada stalls
By Jordan Shilton, 27 October 2016
Whether or not the deal is ultimately ratified, the conflicts over CETA have again starkly exposed the advanced state of decomposition of the European Union.
BRICS summit riven by geo-political rivalry
By Deepal Jayasekera, 26 October 2016
India’s attempt to use the BRICS summit to isolate Pakistan met with stiff Chinese opposition—underscoring the hardening of the Indo-US and Sino-Pakistani alliances.
Thomas Piketty in Sydney: Data on social inequality, but no solution
By Nick Beams, 26 October 2016
Despite the wealth of vitally important data, there was a paucity of historical and political analysis on how ever-widening social inequality can be overcome.
Social inequality and the fight against capitalism
By Nick Beams, 25 October 2016
Facts and figures featured in the analysis conducted by French political economist Thomas Piketty underscore that there is no possibility of combating ever-growing social inequality other than by means of socialist revolution.
European Central Bank “obfuscation” likely to fuel market volatility
By Nick Beams, 21 October 2016
The decision by the ECB not to indicate the future of its bond-buying program reflects deep divisions inside the central bank with growing opposition from Germany.
Fed Chair Yellen speaks in Boston: An admission of perplexity and impotence
By Nick Beams, 17 October 2016
A conference convened by the Boston Federal Reserve revealed that neither the Fed nor bourgeois economics in general has an answer to the stagnation of the US and global economy.
“Existential crisis” dominates IMF meeting on world economy
By Nick Beams, 11 October 2016
The IMF meeting was dominated by the spectre of secular stagnation, global disintegration and the rising hostility of masses of people to the present economic and political order.
British pound plummets over “hard Brexit” fears
By Nick Beams, 8 October 2016
The currency’s sudden fall on Friday was a warning that capital inflows needed to finance the British current account deficit could dry up.
As geo-political and economic tensions mount
IMF warns of record high global debt
By Nick Beams, 7 October 2016
The International Monetary Fund said low and negative interest rates are reaching the limits of their effectiveness and could undermine the solvency of pension and insurance funds.
IMF cuts growth forecasts for major economies
By Nick Beams, 5 October 2016
The International Monetary Fund has warned of a “deflationary trap” where further cuts in interest rates cannot provide a stimulus to the world economy.
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