Concerns about the health of the world economy are increasing..
South Korean exports, a data set often held up as a bellwether for the health of the global economy, fell off a cliff in January, pointing to a troubling slowdown in global trade. Exports from the east Asian nation dropped 14.6% year-on-year in the first 20 days of 2019, according to data released Monday morning. That compared to an increase of 1% over the same period in December. "We had expected a contraction, but the extent of the fall was a surprise," Freya Beamish, chief Asia economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in an email.
China economy: Korean export data craters - Business Insider
The company slashed production at the end of 2018 for Chinese automakers and appliance makers by over 30% because of weak demand, Nagamori said. “We saw big slumps in November and December,” he told reporters. “We have faced extraordinary changes.”
Bottom Suddenly Falls Out of Demand in China in Many Sectors | Wolf Street
And the eurozone growth is also declining quite a bit
The European Central Bank needs to wake up. Of all the major central banks, it’s the one that really should be reacting to an evident economic slowdown in its backyard. There’s a danger this might turn into a recession, Europe’s third in a decade. But being proactive is not in its nature. Its Achilles’ heel is running monetary policy via committee for 19 countries with contradictory needs.