Ahead of Trump's visit to Asia, there were understandable concerns that a diplomatic snafu was imminent. Those concerns were partially justified following a report from Japan Times, according to which Trump said Japan should have shot down the North Korean missiles that flew over the country before landing in the Pacific Ocean earlier this year.
Authored by Pepe Escobar via The Saker blog,
The 19th Party Congress has made it very clear that “socialism with Chinese characteristics” – as codified by President Xi Jinping – is China’s road map ahead. Not only does the strategy graphically eschew those much-lauded “Western values”; it will, in Xi’s own words, offer “a new option for other countries and nations who want to speed up their development while preserving their independence.”
Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,
The Japanese recognize the adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies as a competitive advantage, and they're right.
One of the most durable claims of cryptocurrency skeptics is that "governments will ban bitcoin once it threatens their fiat currency or their control." Ben Bernanke recently gave voice to this claim as if it was received wisdom.
Last week, Japan's Nikkei 225 index enjoyed its longest winning streak in history which eventually ending after 16 consecutive days of gains, only to resume rising after a brief one day hiatus. And, as foreign investors once again flood the Japanese stock market, chasing the momentum which has pushed local stocks to levels not seen since 1996, the question on everyone's lips is how much longer can this continue?
US equity futures are higher, boosted by a bevy of better than expected earnings out of tech giants Amazon, Intel and Microsoft as Asian stocks and European shares climb amid the dovish sentiment unleashed from Thursday’s ECB update.