Sound Economies with Mel & Peter

Before we head off and celebrate the holidays, we end the year dissecting the merger talks of Japanese carmakers Honda and Nissan amid the global EV race. We also tackle the impact of the US Fed's rate cut and forward guidance, China's plan to boost domestic consumption for 2025, and Germany's snap elections in February on the global financial markets. 

We're counting down to the holidays and to the changing of the guard in the US. Amid increased volatility, we look into China's way forward in boosting private consumption, the mainland's antitrust probe on Nvidia, and the fate of the strong dollar policy under incoming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. We also look at the Philippines' new tax refund scheme for foreign tourists. 

We discuss Trump's vow to block Nippon Steel's acquisition of US Steel and how the policy is more symbolic than progressive, as well as net equity inflows into the UK after three straight years of recording net outflows. We also give comment on the financial markets' reaction to South Korea's flip-flop on martial law and the collapse of the French government following the ouster of Prime Minister...

Hear about the US Federal Reserve's slow approach towards further rate cuts, Japan's $250-billion economic stimulus that includes cash subsidies for households, the reaction of Chinese markets to Trump's threat of imposing bigger tariffs on his first day back at the White House, and the unfolding political chaos in France in this episode.

This time around, we talk about Indonesia's ban on the sale of iPhone 16s and Apple's USD 100-million offer to re-enter this market, new missile attacks and conversations towards a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, global producer price movements and the impact on inflation, and the relative strength of the US dollar in recent weeks. 

Major economies are on the spotlight in this episode. The discussion involves Germany's political transition that's unsupportive of growth; Thailand adding two holidays in 2025 hoping to spur domestic tourism; and the ways forward for China and the US amid an intensifying tariff war, a squeezed  middle class, and elevated public debt. 

This episode puts the spotlight on the US elections, such as the winners and losers across business segments and the Trump effect on the stock and bond markets. We also discuss China's tax mandates for wealthy individuals and corporations and BYD's edge in the global electric vehicle race, as well as Germany's political fallout. 

In this episode, we dissect the better-than-expected GDP growth in the euro area in Q3 2024, the outcome of the snap elections in Japan, and the upcoming US presidential polls. We also talk about the market impact of the US' ban on American investments to specific Chinese technology companies and of Israel's retaliatory attack towards Iran.

This week, we provide a recap of the 23 October webinar on the Chinese stock market. We also talk about Vietnam's fourth president in two years, third-quarter earnings reports by luxury brands Hermès and Gucci, the impact of the upcoming US presidential election on the defence sector, and China's "bazooka" packages.

In this episode, we tackle lower oil prices amid tensions in the Middle East, a weaker euro, a new weekend arrangement in Malaysia's Johor state, yet another stimulus package from the Chinese government, and 2025 budget discussions for the UK and Germany.

This episode discusses the high volatility in the Chinese stock market over the past week, China's tit-for-tat response to EU tariffs with its own "brandy tax," the sustained contraction of the German economy, and positive spillovers from the US that has been anchoring global growth.

Public finances and geopolitics are in focus for this podcast episode. We tackle Iran's recent missile attack against Israel and its impact on world markets, a new law imposing the so-called "Netflix tax" in the Philippines, the Thai government's cash handouts worth USD 300 to boost household consumption, and a labor strike that has paralyzed the operations of major ports in the US.

This episode explores Japan's way forward under a new prime minister, the future of the UK economy under the Labour Party's leadership, the latest stimulus package from China's central bank, and the global financial market outlook.

This episode discusses the weak consumer demand in China despite the holiday cheer from the Mid-Autumn Festival, promising revenues on a US fund, the Federal Reserve’s 50 basis point rate cut, and falling oil prices. 

This episode talks about developed economies and their "overtourism" problem, the crisis at German car manufacturer Volkswagen, and the impact of the US Federal Reserve's upcoming rate cut on global stocks and currencies. 

This episode discusses the local elections in Germany, Canada's imposition of 100 per cent tariffs on China-made electric vehicles, and the anticipated rate cut by the US Federal Reserve.