PROGRESS ON THE FISCAL CLIFF?  Global markets are taking a breather from worrying about Southern Europe . Greece , Spain et al will be back, but in the meantime, headlines regarding the US “fiscal cliff” are grabbing all the attention. On Friday, there were some positive ones that turned market sentiment around. Republican House Speaker John Boehner said his meeting with President Obama …

EUROPE REMAINS IN THE SPOTLIGHT, WITH ONE EYE ON GROWTH AND THE OTHER ON GREECE: Headlines on Greece ’s next tranche of aid and how to meet the predicted shortfall again generated some volatility in markets overnight. Policymakers seem to be making slow progress, although no final decision about the disbursement of the next tranche of aid will be made until …

By Charles Finny As predicted in my last contribution to newzealandinc.com  President Obama made it home and will run the United States for another four years.  The Republicans have some lessons to learn and uncomfortable facts to digest, particularly around the changing demographics in the United States.  To win election to the Presidency the Republicans need to soften their stance …

By Ernest Z. Bower Forty-eight hours after winning reelection to a second term, President Barack Obama announced he would visit three countries in mainland Southeast Asia—Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand—from November 17 to 20. Actions speak louder than words; the visit shouts Obama’s intent for a purposeful focus on Asia in his second term. This is not a typical Asia visit …

By David Mahon In Beijing, as evening temperatures hover around zero degrees Celsius, the heating has been turned on two weeks earlier than usual so that Chinese Communist Party officials attending the 18th National Congress will not suffer too much discomfort. Security has been increased. Vehicles from other provinces cannot enter the city without permits and, in an edict only …

Most New Zealanders must be very confused about what they are seeing in the US Presidential race.  Aside from those who take the time to seek some balancing of the media views on US politics by tuning into Fox, or reading the Wall Street Journal, there is an incessant anti-Republican bias to most of the news feeds being taken here.  …

A LULL IN THE STORM, OR RECOVERY ON THE WAY? There was a swathe of data overnight from both the US and Europe with most of it either surprising on the upside, or in line with market expectations. However, most of the indicators are still at very low levels begging the question whether it is a lull in the storm, or …

By Stephen Jacobi A recent survey of 1018 New Zealanders found that over 60.5 per cent believed New Zealand needed to do more to connect with global markets. While 85.7 per cent could not name the deal under negotiation with the United States and other Asia Pacific economies, when prompted 51.6 per cent said they had heard of the Trans …

By Stephen Jacobi A recent survey of 1018 New Zealanders found that over 60.5 per cent believed New Zealand needed to do more to connect with global markets. While 85.7 per cent could not name the deal under negotiation with the United States and other Asia Pacific economies, when prompted 51.6 per cent said they had heard of the Trans …