According to recent data released by the international monetary fund (IMF), the proportion of RMB assets held by central Banks in foreign exchange reserves rose to 1.89% in the fourth quarter of 2018, surpassing Australian and Canadian dollars and the highest level since the IMF reported RMB reserve assets in October 2016. According to the latest quarterly data on the composition of official foreign exchange reserve currencies released by the IMF, as of the fourth quarter of last year, RMB…

Metropolises that have seen property prices tumble as a result of the global economic slowdown are attracting attention.If the downward trend continues, it could reduce the willingness of homeowners to spend.Then there is the fear of financial chaos. The median price of a Manhattan apartment in central New York fell 5.8% to $999,000 in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, the first time it has fallen below the $1 million mark since the third quarter of 2015 (July to…

SINGAPORE - Smaller declines in private road transport and accommodation costs caused headline or overall inflation to go up slightly to 0.5 per cent year on year in February, up from 0.4 per cent in the previous month, data released on Monday (March 25) showed. Core inflation - which strips out private transport and accommodation costs - showed a reverse picture and came in a tad lower at 1.5 per cent last month, down from 1.7 per cent in January.…

Radical tax proposal by the New Economics Foundation backed by shadow chancellor The tax-free personal allowance, which rises to £12,500 in April, should be scrapped and replaced with a flat payment of £48 a week for every worker, according to radical proposals welcomed by shadow chancellor John McDonnell. The proposal, from the New Economics Foundation thinktank, is for a £48.08 “weekly national allowance,” amounting to £2,500.16 a year from the state, paid to every worker over the age of 18…

The trade and industry ministry said it was maintaining its forecast for growth of 1.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent in 2019, but that it expected growth to be slightly below the middle of the range. Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 3.2 per cent in 2018, down from 3.9 per cent in 2017, according to the 2018 Singapore economic survey report released by the ministry of trade and industry on feb 15, 2019. The government had previously forecast…

Philip Lane, the governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, has received support from the finance ministers of the eurozone to become the new chief economist of the European Central Bank. Lane was the only candidate that was proposed for the job and his position will be confirmed by the leaders of the European Union at a meeting that is scheduled to be held next month. Lane is 49 years old. He will be taking the place of Peter Praet,…

The size of the Irish economy could be 4.25% smaller than current projections over the medium term if there is a hard Brexit, according to an assessment by the Department of Finance. The department forecasts show that unemployment could rise by up to 2 percentage points in such a scenario. A small surplus projected for next year would also turn to a deficit if there’s a disorderly Brexit, the analysis finds. "The assessment by my Department shows that a disorderly…