Importing merchandise made in China is far more expensive than before the imposition of additional tariffs leaving many U.S. importers of products from China grappling with the additional duty. Beginning on July 6, 2018, and pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the United States imposed 25 percent additional tariffs in three tranches on $250 billion worth of Chinese merchandise imported into the country. A fourth tranche was imposed on September 1, 2019 on approximately $116 billion...

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The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic supported 42 investment plans during this parliamentary term. As the ministry said further, thereof 31 projects were directed to central or eastern Slovakia, where almost 4,500 new jobs will be created. The total volume of supported investments during this parliamentary term should exceed 1 billion euros and create more than 6,700 new jobs. Investment aid exceeded 207 million euros, of which almost 130 million euros represents income tax relief. Last time,...

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With over 2,600 new cases of Coronavirus reported this past weekend, more than 37,000 cases have been recorded worldwide, including over 800 deaths. The good news is the number of new cases declined 20 percent, the first drop since Feb 1. But there is also concern there might be an increase in new cases as people return to work after the Lunar New Year. The new respiratory virus was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, with the vast majority...

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The U.S. Dollar is ending the week strengthening against all peers across the board as economic data is providing evidence of much better performance in this region than elsewhere. Indeed, the greenback is up based on releases showing non-Farm Payrolls growing by 225K over the expected 165K, while the Labor Participation Rate and Unemployment Rate both exceeded expectations. The overall health in the labor sector is certainly impressive, yet wages seem to be stuck with Average Hourly Earnings coming in...

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European Commission presents draft Brexit negotiating directives The European Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Monday 3 February, presented the EU’s draft negotiating directives. The draft mandate will now have to be approved by EU Affairs Ministers on 25 February. On the first full working day since the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union, the European Commission adopted the EU’s draft negotiating directives for the upcoming negotiations on the future EU-UK relationship. Pending any amendments by member...

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A growing number of customers choose ING as their primary bank Primary customer base rises by more than 830,000 in FY2019 to 13.3 million; total retail customer base reaches 38.8 million Net core lending grows by €17.2 billion in 2019, €2.0 billion in 4Q2019; net inflow customer deposits €23.4 billion in 2019, €2.5 billion in 4Q2019 Four-quarter rolling net interest margin holding up on continued pricing discipline and tiering ING full-year 2019 underlying pre-tax result 9.2% lower than last year;...

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It was not the fault of the crisis or at least not of the crisis alone. But the economic and financial meltdown of 2007/8 and following years made the European investment gap more visible. In late 2014, when the previous President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker took office, it was obvious that the continent had been living off its capital stock for quite some time and that it was in dire need of modernisation. To spur investment and get...

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Irish business law firm Mason Hayes & Curran last year recorded a 4 per cent rise in revenue to €85 million. The Dublin-based firm, which is 50 years old, said the main drivers for its “solid” growth were demand in technology and data privacy, energy, financial services and litigation. It appointed 12 new partners, to bring the total to 90. Managing partner Declan Black said the firm was optimistic about this year, with a “positive” outlook for its clients given the strength of the Irish economy. Mr Black, who was recently...

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February 3, 2020 | Toy Association staff members traveled to Nuremberg, Germany last week to meet with Spielwarenmesse 2020 exhibitors to track toy and play trends, as well as discuss regulatory issues of international importance with global toy associations. Toy Trends Spielwarenmesse was the latest stop for The Toy Association’s trends team, which travels to trade and consumer events throughout the year, both within the toy industry and beyond, to track new trends, meet with Toy Association members, and preview innovative products impacting...

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At a recent U.S. Department of State-arranged meeting at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Coast Guard and other government agency personnel and stakeholders met in preparation for the seventh session of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR7), to be held at IMO Headquarters in London on Feb. 18-22, 2020. A number of agenda items scheduled to be discussed at the PPR7 meeting will likely impact IMO 2020 regulations...

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