U.S. Archives - Page 16 of 16

August 11, 2023September 12, 2025

U.S. to ban some U.S. investments in China tech sector

The U.S. will ban American investment in some areas of China’s high-tech sector, including artificial intelligence, adding to strained relations between the two superpowers.

U.S. firms will also be invited to disclose what investments they make in China in high-tech sectors.The much-anticipated move gives the U.S. government new power to screen foreign dealings by private companies. The U.S. said the measure would be narrowly targeted. However, it is poised to further chill economic relations between the world’s two largest economies. China has reportedly said it was ‘very disappointed‘. The U.S. ‘has continuously escalated suppression and restrictions on China‘. He added that White House claims that the US was not seeking to hurt China’s economy or separate the two countries did not match its actions. ‘We urge the US side to honour its words‘.

Biden order

The order by U.S. President Biden formally kicks off the push to introduce rules to restrict, even prevent American businesses from investing in firms from ‘countries of concern‘ that are active in advanced semiconductors, quantum computing and certain areas of artificial intelligence.

The government will also require U.S. firms to notify the Treasury Department of investments in firms working on a wider range of artificial intelligence and semiconductor technology.

AI tech — U.S. restriction on AI related tech knowledge to China

The rules are not expected to apply to ‘portfolio’ investments, in which firms invest passively in companies via the stock market, but are focused on active investments made by private equity and venture capital businesses. They will now enter a public ‘reflection’ period, which is expected to further clarify what kinds of investments are off-limits. The rules are not expected to go into effect for sometime yet. This new ‘order’ is quite a big deal.

In a briefing with reporters, senior administration officials said the measure was a ‘national security action, not an economic one‘. They said the U.S. remained committed to open investment.

Investment control

Controls on outbound investment are rare among advanced economies, currently present only in Japan and Korea, according to a 2022 report.

In the U.S., prior restrictions on China trade have relied on limiting sales of sensitive technology by U.S. firms and screening Chinese investments in American companies. The Trump administration had also barred investments in firms tied to China’s military.

The latest measure has widespread support in Washington, where it is seen as fixing a regulatory gap concerning financial flows that risks allowing American money and know-how to to flow into China.

International support

The U.S. has been trying to build international support for the investment curbs with some signs of success.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in May 2023 said the UK government would consider curbs on outbound investment; the European Commission put forward a proposal focused on investments in sensitive technologies earlier this summer. It is not clear how significantly the order would affect flows of investment.

China was the number two destination for foreign investment in 2022, behind the U.S., but many reports suggest money flowing into the country from the U.S. and elsewhere has dropped sharply as geopolitical relations sour. In the UK, a recent survey by the Institute of Directors found that one in five UK importers had already switched investments away from the country due to geopolitical tensions.

China has responded to the curbs with its own rules, including limits on exports of some critical minerals used to make computer chips.

Gallium and Germanium considered critical elements required in the production of microchips

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who visited China in July 2023 in an attempt to ease tensions, said last month she did not think the coming curbs would have a fundamental impact on the investment climate in the country.

Will these measures likely damage the U.S. in the future by escalating issues and restricting the U.S. from other shared advancements in technology – only time will tell.

Tech’ rivalry

U.S. and China are two of the world’s leading powers in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors, which are essential components for many AI applications such as self-driving cars, smart phones, and cloud computing. However, the two countries have also been engaged in a fierce competition and rivalry over these technologies, as they seek to gain an edge in innovation, security, and economic growth. Some of the issues that have caused tensions between U.S. and China include trade disputes, intellectual property theft, cyberattacks, human rights violations, and military expansion.

AI chips

AI semiconductors are designed to perform complex calculations and tasks that require high levels of intelligence, such as natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning.

These chips can be classified into two types: general-purpose chips that can run various AI algorithms, and specialized chips that are optimized for specific AI functions or domains.

The race is on…

August 10, 2023September 12, 2025

U.S. inflation July 2023 up 0.2% to 3.2%

Up slightly for the first time in a year

U.S. consumer prices rose a mild 0.2% in July, but the rate of inflation rose for the first time in more than in a year in a sign it’s going to take a while to get the cost of living fully under control. But a steady slowdown in inflation over the past year could keep the Federal Reserve on the sidelines when officials consider whether to raise interest rates again at their next meeting in September.

The yearly rate of inflation, rose to 3.2% from to 3% in the prior month. It’s the first increase in 13 months, though inflation has eased considerably since hitting a 40-year high of 9.1% in 2022. The core rate of inflation, which omits volatile food and energy costs, also rose 0.2% last month.

The increase in core inflation over the past year slowed slightly to 4.7% from 4.8%. That’s the lowest rate in almost two years. The Fed doesn’t ignore food and energy prices, but the central bank views the core rate as a better predictor of inflation trends. Even so, the core rate of inflation remains well above the Fed’s 2% goal.

Rapid rate rise

Over the past year the U.S. central bank has been raising interest rates rapidly to try to slow the economy and dampen inflation, but it’s unclear if the Fed will continue to do so at its next meeting in September 2023. Financial markets put the odds close to zero.

Inflation has slowed sharply in the first half of 2023, but further gains this year are unlikely to come as easy. U.S. gas (petrol) prices are on the rise again. U.S. rent and house prices are still going up. And labour costs are increasing more than 4% a year, making it harder for the Fed to achieve its inflation target.

Robust economy

The U.S. economy, for its part, is still expanding at a surprisingly robust pace. Strong consumer demand could keep prices elevated, especially for popular services such as hotel rentals, dining out and entertainment.

Whether inflation is still rising too fast for the Fed to necessate another rate hike in September remains to be seen, for now.

August 8, 2023September 12, 2025

China’s exports take a dive!

China’s exports plunge

According to latest figures the country’s trade fell more sharply than expected in July 2023, as both global and domestic demand receded amid the pandemic and ongoing tensions with the United States.

China’s exports fell by 14.5% in July 2023 from a year ago, the biggest drop since February 2020, while imports dropped by 12.4%, according to Chinese data. This was much worse than the 5% decline in both exports and imports analysts were expecting.

Poor trade performance

Some of the reasons for the poor trade performance are the rising costs of raw materials, the global shortage of semiconductors, the Covid-19 outbreaks in some regions, and the U.S. sanctions on some Chinese companies.

China’s trade with the U.S., its largest trading partner, fell in the first seven months of the year. The trade slump has added pressure on China to provide more support for the economy, which has lost momentum after a strong recovery in late 2020 and early 2021.

China’s trade drop July 2023 more than expected

China’s trade situation is also closely watched by other countries, as it reflects the health of the global economy and demand for goods. Some analysts have warned that China’s trade slowdown could signal a broader weakening of consumer spending in developed economies, which could lead to recessions later this year. China’s trade data also has implications for inflation and monetary policy, as lower import prices could ease inflationary pressures and allow central banks to keep interest rates low.

China’s export to the U.S. and EU down

China’s exports to the U.S. plunged by 23.1% year-on-year in July 2023, while those to the European Union fell by 20.6%, CNBC analysis of customs data showed. Exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations fell by 21.4%, according to the data. Chinese imports of crude oil dropped by 20.8% in July from a year ago, while imports of integrated circuits fell by nearly 17%.

China’s imports from Russia fell by around 8% in July 2023 from a year ago, the data showed.

A slowdown in U.S. and other major economies’ growth has dragged down Chinese exports this year. Meanwhile, China’s domestic demand has remained subdued.

Growth areas

Among the few higher-value export categories that saw a significant increase in the first seven months of the year were: cars, refined oil, suitcases and bags. And for imports: paper pulp, coal products and edible vegetable oil were among the categories seeing significant growth in the January to July period from a year ago.

August 2, 2023September 12, 2025

Fitch downgrades U.S. credit rating to AA+ over fiscal concerns

Must try harder

The U.S. has lost its top credit rating from Fitch Ratings, one of the three major credit rating agencies, due to its recent political gridlock over the debt ceiling and deteriorating fiscal situation. How much does this matter?

Fitch re-calculated the U.S.’s long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating (IDR) from AAA to AA+ early August 2023, reportedly saying it was because of a ‘steady deterioration in standards of governance‘ and a lack of confidence in fiscal management.

Downgrade

The downgrade comes despite the resolution of the U.S. debt ceiling crisis in June 2023, when Congress agreed to suspend the $31.4tn borrowing limit until January 2025. Fitch warned that the U.S. faces serious long-term fiscal challenges, such as rising debt levels, unfunded social security and Medicare obligations, and the real possibility of a recession.

Disagree

Janet Yellen, the U.S. Treasury Secretary and the White House strongly disagreed with Fitch’s decision, calling it ‘arbitrary’ and ‘bizarre‘. They stated that the U.S. economy is fundamentally strong and that Treasury securities remain the world’s safest and most liquid assets. They reportedly suggested that Fitch’s calculation model is flawed and outdated.

Downgrade rattles markets

The downgrade is unlikely to have a significant impact on the U.S.’s borrowing costs or reputation, as it still retains its triple ‘A’ rating from the other two major credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s.

However, it could increase market volatility and pressure the U.S. to address its fiscal imbalances. But according to Janet Yellen these do not exist and there is no problem…?

August 2, 2023September 12, 2025

Buffet Indicator & U.S. Stock Market

The Buffet Indicator is a valuation multiple used to assess how expensive or cheap the aggregate stock market is at a given point in time. It was proposed by investor Warren Buffett in 2001, who called it ‘probably the best single measure of where valuations stand at any given moment‘ . It compares the total value of all publicly traded securities in the U.S. to the U.S. GDP .

The current value of the Buffet Indicator is 181%, (July 2023) – which suggests that the U.S. stock market is reportedly worth $48.37 trillion, while the U.S. GDP is $26.74 trillion.

This ratio is 50.50% above the historical trend line, suggesting that the stock market is overvalued relative to GDP. Buffett warned that if the ratio approaches 200%, ‘you are playing with fire‘.

Buffett Indicator: $48.85T ÷ $26.91T = 182%

Does it Matter?

The Buffett Indicator expresses the value of the U.S. stock market in terms of the size of the U.S. economy. If the stock market value is growing much faster than the actual economy, then it may be in a bubble.

Buffet Indicator Movement Above and Below Trend Line

August 1, 2023September 12, 2025

Euro Zone GDP & Inflation Improves in July 2023

EU Inflation 5.3% July 2023

Euro zone inflation fell in July, and new growth figures showed economic activity picking up in the second quarter of this year, but economists still fear a recession.

Headline inflation in the EU was 5.3% in July, according to preliminary data released end of July 2023, lower than the 5.5% registered in June. However, it still remains substantially above the European Central Bank’s 2% target.

EU GDP

GDP growth accelerated in the second quarter, expanding by 0.3%, higher than the 0.2% expected by analysts.

July 27, 2023September 12, 2025

Ripple effect! XRP surges after U.S. judge rules it is not a security in… some instances

SEC Ruling – July 2023

XRP, the native token of the blockchain company Ripple, soared more than 60% on Thursday after a U.S. judge delivered a major victory to the firm in its legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The SEC had sued Ripple in December 2020, alleging that it had raised over $1.3 billion through the sale of XRP in an unregistered securities offering. The SEC claimed that XRP was an investment contract that gave buyers the expectation of profits based on Ripple’s efforts.

However, the Judge ruled that XRP was not a security “on its face” and that some aspects of its sale did not violate the federal securities laws.

The judge drew a distinction between the sales of XRP to institutional investors, which she said could constitute investment contracts, and the sales of XRP to the general public on exchanges, which did not.

Argument

The judge also denied Ripple’s argument that the SEC lacked jurisdiction over XRP transactions because they were not domestic, and agreed with the SEC that the Howey test, a four-pronged criteria to determine whether an asset is a security, applied to cryptocurrency transactions.

The ruling was welcomed by Ripple and its supporters, who argued that XRP was a utility token that facilitated cross-border payments and did not depend on Ripple’s efforts for its value.

Ripple’s chief legal officer, reportedly tweeted: “A huge win today – as a matter of law – XRP is not a security. Also, a matter of law – sales on exchanges are not securities. Sales by executives are not securities. Other XRP distributions – to developers, charities, and employees- are not securities.”

A lawyer representing over 19,000 XRP holders who intervened in the case, reportedly called on U.S. exchanges to relist XRP in solidarity with the decision.

Crypyo boost

The ruling also boosted the sentiment in the broader crypto market, as it suggested that the SEC did not have unlimited authority over digital assets and that some tokens could escape the securities classification.

Cryptocurrency — ‘Have you seen the news? Crypto *might possibly could* be going manstream.’ ‘Oh WOW! – What’s crypto?’

Crypto-related stocks such as Coinbase and crypto-coins such as ADA, HBAR, BITCOIN & ETH surged following the news.

More to come?

However, the case is not quite over yet, as the SEC said it would continue to review the decision and pursue its claims against Ripple for the sales of XRP to institutional investors.

The SEC also responded to the judge’s ruling by saying that it did not change its position that XRP was a security and that it would seek to prove that Ripple violated the securities laws in certain circumstances.

The outcome of the case could have significant implications for the crypto industry, as it could set a precedent for how other tokens are regulated and how other lawsuits are resolved.