TOK News and Press, iShares MSCI Kokusai From 09/23/22

Summary Recognizing that high inflation will not quietly go away, the world's major central banks are toughening their policies. Gradualism has given way to super-sized interest rate increases and a clearer resolve to restrain actual and expected inflation, despite adverse economi...

Summary Globalization has meant that consumers can get goods more cheaply from countries with low labor costs or high technology usage. Today, many companies are willing to pay a little more for a shorter, safer supply chain. The Federal Reserve and other central banks around ...

Summary The U.S. CPI report is still the most important economic report of the month. The violent sell-off in response to what was a small upside surprise to U.S. core inflation in August is all you need to know. Markets would like to see a sustained roll-over in inflation and an ...

Summary Today, every major part of the world economy is seemingly prone to a serious economic crisis. The European economy is perhaps the most immediate cause for concern. All of these world economic problems have to raise serious questions about the wisdom of the Federal Rese...

Summary Global inflation was generally moderating when the pandemic began, and the downward trend continued into the early months of the crisis. Food and energy are the main drivers of this inflation, as our Chart of the Week shows. Inflation continued to climb through July, a...

Summary Global economic output contracted in August for the first time since June 2020, according to the latest PMI survey data. For the first time since early 2020, all four largest developed economies reported falling output. Reduced input cost inflation and worsening demand...

Summary Jackson Hole reset expectations to focus more on inflation. The U.S. dollar should stabilize over the medium-term amid hawkishness from other central banks and slowing economic data. At stake is Europe’s ability to refill their storage tanks ahead of winter. ...

Summary Two shocks pushed the economy off course in the second quarter - Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February and COVID-19 lockdowns in mainland China. Although real GDP decreased slightly in the first two quarters of 2022, do not call it a recession! With global demand...

Summary Equities rebounded in recent weeks as investors considered the prospects of a possible pivot by major central banks, especially after China’s central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates. Similar to Europe, core inflation and services inflation are expected to rise ...

Emerging markets hard-currency bonds could remain volatile given the challenging global macroeconomic backdrop, but we see pockets of opportunities. BloombergNEF believes total metal demand from lithium-ion batteries will reach 13.5 million metric tons by 2030. Strong demand for c...