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9 Aug 2023

China's consumer and producer prices both declined in July for the first time since November 2020, a sign of deflation pressure amid weakening demand

CPI dipped 0.3% from a year earlier while PPI retreated for a 10th consecutive month, sliding 4.4%. "China is in deflation for sure," said Robin Xing at Morgan Stanley. "The question is how long." The statistics bureau attributed the CPI decline to the high base of comparison, saying the dip is likely to be temporary. Source: J-C Gand

9 Aug 2023

Financial demands of supporting a US family of 4 have surpassed what a single salary can adequately provide

Source: FT

8 Aug 2023

Total credit card indebtedness increased by $45 billion in the April-through-June period, an increase of more than 4%

That took the total amount owed to $1.03 trillion, the highest gross value in Fed data going back to 2003. The increase in the category was the most notable area as total household debt edged higher by about $16 billion to $17.06 trillion, also a fresh record. As card use grew, so did the delinquency rate. The Fed’s measure of credit card debt 30 or more days late rose to 7.2% in the second quarter, up from 6.5% in Q1 and the highest rate since the first quarter of 2012 though close to the long-run normal, central bank officials said. Total debt delinquency edged higher to 3.18% from 3%. Source: CNBC

8 Aug 2023

Record green bond sales lift outlook for ESG debt

Green bonds issuance globally hit a record $380 billion in the first half of 2023, rebounding from $261 billion during the prior six months.
Governments and financials are the main contributors. Germany, Italy and Hong Kong governments in combination sold $52 billion green bonds, 150% more than each half of 2022.
Source: Bloomberg

8 Aug 2023

The US Corporate Debt Maturity Wall

$230bn ($525bn Annualized) of Corporate Debt Matures in the Remainder of 2023 $790bn matures in 2024 $1,070bn matures in 2025 Source: Ayesha Tariq, Goldman Sachs

8 Aug 2023

This could be a problem for sugar prices which already hit 12-year highs back in May

Source: Barchart

7 Aug 2023

German exports to Kyrgyzstan are up 2000% in the past 3 years

Value of these exports is small, but this is just one of many examples showing how hard it is to police export controls on western goods to Russia. Source: Robin Brooks

7 Aug 2023

Consumer price inflation is creeping higher again on a month-over-month basis, driven in part by higher gas prices, according to the Cleveland Fed's forecast

Source: Lisa Abramowicz

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