The slowdown at Europe’s cocoa factories is deepening, highlighting how historically high prices are curbing demand and hurting processors’ profits in the top chocolate consuming region. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/17/markets/europe-cocoa-global-chocolate/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #cocoa #chocolate #europe #eu

Calls for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's resignation have prompted investors to protect portfolios against the risk of higher inflation, as a central bank more willing to lower rates could fuel price rises. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/16/markets/investors-fed-chief-ouster/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #jeromepowell #scottbessent #investors #federalreserve #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs #republicans

Japanese stocks, hit by a perfect storm of tariffs, politics and budget worries, are down about 6% from their peak. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/15/markets/nikkei-slumping/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #nikkei #stocks #tse #donaldtrump #tariffs

Producers of Italy's renowned Chianti wine have demanded a new export strategy targeting markets such as South America, Asia and Africa following U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of additional tariffs on imports. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/15/markets/italy-chianti-wine-asia-tariff/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #italy #chianti #wine #us #donaldtrump #trade #southamerica #asia #tariffs #spain

Donald Trump unveiled a new round of tariff demands on Wednesday, including a 50% rate on Brazil, one of the highest so far announced for the levies set to hit in August. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/10/markets/trump-tariff-50-levy-brazil/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #jairbolsonaro #brazil #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs #republicans

U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to push forward with his aggressive tariff regime, stressing he would not offer additional extensions on country-specific levies set to now hit in early August. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/09/markets/trump-tariff-copper-drugs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs #republicans #copper #pharmaceuticals

Despite warnings of a looming recession and high inflation, many Russians feel their economy has adapted successfully to Western sanctions, even if it means parting with some well-known Western brands for good. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/07/markets/sanctions-russia-middle-class/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #ukraine #russia #russiaukrainewar #vladimirputin #economicindicators

Butter prices in most of the world are lingering near record highs with little end in sight as a complex interplay of factors from heat waves to tariffs puts more cost pressure on consumers’ favorite foods. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/07/markets/butter-global-price-surge/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #butter #food #markets #dining #dairyindustry

Forming an exchange-traded fund just got easier in Japan with the launch of a white-label service, in which much of the work will be done for the fund manager. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/04/markets/white-label-etf/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #tse #stocks #investments #etf #boj

The Bank of Japan will resume its rate hikes after a temporary pause, says Hajime Takata, a member of the central bank's policy board. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/03/markets/boj-rate-hike-to-resume/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #boj #japaneseeconomy #hajimetakata #interestrates

Cities, businesses and insurers need the financial risks of heat waves to be outlined more clearly. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/02/companies/heat-wave-cost-insurers-ceos/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #climatechange #heatwaves #markets #jobs #economicindicators

In the vast agricultural lands north of Los Angeles, two farmers, two field supervisors and four immigrant farmworkers have said that the ICE raids have led a majority of workers to stop showing up. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/01/markets/immigration-raids-california-farms/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #california #ice #immigration #agriculture #us #donaldtrump #republicans

The global economy’s struggles during Donald Trump’s presidency in the U.S. will likely feature when five of the world’s leading central bank chiefs discuss monetary policy in public on Tuesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/30/markets/powell-lagarde-trump/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #christinelagarde #europeancentralbank #jeromepowell #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs #republicans

With just 10 days to go until President Donald Trump’s country-specific tariffs are set to resume, the White House appears poised to fall short of the sweeping global trade reforms it promised to achieve. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/30/markets/trump-deals-global-trade-reform/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs #republicans #scottbessent

Japanese shares have risen for a fourth day on trade optimism after the United States and China signed a deal and the White House hinted U.S. President Donald Trump may soften his July tariff deadline. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/27/markets/nikkei-hits-40000-level/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #stocks #nikkei #japaneseeconomy #tariffs #middleeast

Foreign investors were net sellers of Japanese stocks last week for the first time since March, according to data from the Finance Ministry. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/26/markets/foreign-investors-japan-stock-sell/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #stocks #investments #japaneseeconomy #financeministry #tse

There's deep anxiety among New York's elite that a win by Zohran Mamdani in November's mayoral race would lead to higher taxes and a subsequent exodus of wealthy residents from the five boroughs. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/26/markets/mamdani-shock-wall-street/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #zohranmamdani #andrewcuomo #newyorkcity #newyork #wallstreet

Africa's push for local currency payment systems is finally making concrete gains, bringing the promise of less costly trade to a continent long hobbled by resource-sapping dollar transactions. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/24/markets/trump-africa-non-dollar-payments/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #africa #dollar #kenya #us #donaldtrump

An explosion, when regulated, becomes an engine. The same is true of markets.

An explosion, unregulated, is a weapon of mass destruction. The same is true of markets.

When Adam Smith talked about "free markets", he meant free of economic rents (paying people to own things), not free of regulation.

#markets#AdamSmith#FreeMarkets