archiveEconomic policy

TOKYO -- Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that he held telephone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed to hold “productive" discussions at an upcoming tariff talks between the two sides.“Investment, not tariffs,” Ishiba told reporters after the talks. He said Japan’s position to keep pushing Washington to drop all recent tariff measures is unchanged and that he stands by plans to push for Japanese investment to create more jobs in the U.S. in exchange.The two leaders held talks just after Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's...

Asian shares and U.S. futures slipped Thursday after U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed close on Wall Street.Oil prices fell more than $1 a barrel. China moved to reverse some of its “non-tariff” measures against the U.S. as agreed with Washington in their temporary trade war cease-fire and most markets traded in a narrow range.Japan’s Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.1%, however, to 37,705.74. Computer chip-related stocks were among the biggest decliners, with Disco Corp. falling 2.6% and Advantest down 1.8%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was the outlier, picking up 0.2%...

President Donald Trump doubled down on his global tariffs Thursday, likening the U.S. economy to a ‘very sick’ patient who came out of an operation. “It’s gonna be a booming country, very booming country. It’s going to be amazing, actually,” Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way down to one of his Florida golf clubs. President Donald Trump doubled down on his global tariffs Thursday, likening the U.S. economy to a ‘very sick’ patient who came out of an operation. “It’s gonna be a booming country,...

HONG KONG -- Asian shares slid further Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs sent shudders through Wall Street at a level of shock unseen since the COVID-19 pandemic pummeled world markets in 2020. Everything from crude oil to Big Tech stocks to the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies has fallen. Even gold, a traditional safe haven that recently hit record highs, pulled lower after Trump announced his “Liberation Day” set of tariffs,’ which economists say carries the risk of a potentially toxic mix of weakening economic...

It was the worst day yet in a scary stretch where the S&P 500 has swung more than 1%, up or down, seven times in eight days because of Trump’s on -and- off -again tariffs. The worry is that the whipsaw moves will either hurt the economy directly or create enough uncertainty to drive U.S. companies and consumers into an economy-freezing paralysis.Get Starting PointA guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.The economy has already given some signals of weakening, mostly through surveys showing increased...