As global growth has gathered momentum over the past year thanks to a bounce in consumption, businesses have ramped up production in a boon to worldwide trade and investment. Later in the day, analysts will get an opportunity to gauge the health of manufacturing activity in Europe and North America through similar PMI surveys. Trump disruptionThe Trump factor, allied with a stronger dollar as the US Federal Reserve starts to raise interest rates at a faster pace, could knock global economic growth, and hurt Asian manufacturing and exports. On Tuesday, the Trump administration added to global political frictions, criticising China, Japan and Germany as having deliberately devalued their currencies. Analysts warn a slowdown in Chinese economic growth and a pullback in stimulus in the Asian economic powerhouse could also hit demand across the region and elsewhere.

Source: Mint February 01, 2017 06:00 UTC