Money Talks

Oil prices are rebounding today, after dropping to their lowest level in months on weak US demand. US crude oil inventories rose unexpectedly last week as exports and domestic demand weakened. On the supply side, OPEC and its allies agreed to a small increase in their collective output, equal to about 0.1% of global oil demand. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has slammed the "grotesque greed" of energy majors. He's urging governments to "tax excessive profits" and use the proceeds to boost social spending.

For more on that, we spoke to Osama Rizvi, who is energy and economic analyst at Primary Vision in Lahore.

#Oil #OilPrices #OPEC

China has halted some trade with Taiwan in retaliation to the visit of United States House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi to the island. Beijing says it’s stopped importing fish and fruits from Taiwan, while exports of natural sand have also been suspended. Beijing has often targeted Taiwan's agricultural industry for punishment over political issues. Meanwhile, chip maker TSMC says the global supply of semiconductors could be affected due to tensions between the world's two largest economies.

For more on that, we spoke to David Madden, who is a market analyst at Equiti Capital in London.

#China #Taiwan #NancyPelosi

Fears of rising tensions between the world's two largest economies have investors on edge across markets. That's as US Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi is reportedly set to visit Taiwan. As a result, all markets in the Asia-Pacific region are in the red today. European futures are pointing to a lower open.

#StockMarket #NancyPelosi #Taiwan

Mainland China stocks are rising, along with most other Asia-Pacific indices on Monday, as a private survey on Chinese factory activity showed slight growth in July. The reading was better than China's official Purchasing Managers' Index released over the weekend, which showed a clear contraction in factory activity.

For more on that, we were joined by Han Tan, who is the chief market analyst at Exinity Group.

#China #Japan #Manufacturing

As the cost of living is rising in Europe, so is strike action by public workers. In the UK thousands of railway workers have downed tools this week, pushing for higher wages to offset soaring inflation. And in Germany, a strike by ground staff forced carrier Lufthansa to cancel hundreds of flights, causing disruptions and frustrating holidaymakers keen to travel after COVID-19 lockdowns. Sibel Karkus reports from Berlin.

For more on disrupted travel industry, Taha Meli Arvas joined us on set. He's an adjunct professor of finance at Bogazici University in Istanbul.

#LufthansaStrike #RailwayStrike #TravelIndustry

The global economic slowdown is not just impacting brick and mortar businesses. Tech giants that were beneficiaries of COVID-induced lockdowns are also now experiencing a slowdown in demand as consumers shy away from spending.

#TechFirms #TechEarnings #Nasdaq

As the war in Ukraine enters its sixth month, global food supplies are running critically low. Egypt is one country that relies heavily on Russian and Ukrainian wheat. Egyptian farmers have ramped up production of the crop to cope with the shortage. But as prices of everything from seeds to pesticides rise, they are struggling to survive. Tayyibe Aydin reports.

#Egypt #Agriculture #Food

Data show US GDP shrank just under 1% in the three months to June, compared to the same quarter last year. That follows a larger contraction in the first three months of the year. Most economic literature will tell you that two consecutive quarters of decline means a technical recession. The state of the US economy will have broad implications for the rest of the world. That's according to the IMF's updated World Economic Outlook released this week. It slashed its forecast for global growth, citing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

For more on that, we spoke to Mickey Levy in New York, who is the chief economist for the US and Asia at Berenberg Capital Markets.

#Recession #UnitedStates #GDP

Energy prices have been soaring all week, due to a variety of factors. Natural gas contracts in Europe are trading at historic highs and oil prices also firmed. Russia is once again, restricting the supply of natural gas to Europe. Flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline fell to about a fifth of normal capacity on Wednesday. Meanwhile, oil producers such as Saudi Arabia are already pumping at their maximum capacity, and prices are still rising. They've been buoyed by lower crude inventories in the United States, and higher petrol demand.

#EnergyPrices #Oil #NaturalGas

Eurozone GDP grew 0.7% in the second quarter of the year. That beat expectations, and follows a disappointing report out of the US overnight. The world's largest economy shrank by 0.9% in the three months to June. That follows a first quarter contraction of 1.6%, meeting the textbook definition of a recession.

For more on that, we spoke to Craig Erlam, who is a senior market analyst at OANDA in London.

#Recession #GDP #Eurozone