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Tuesday July 24, 2018

// July 24th, 2018 // Comments Off on Tuesday July 24, 2018 // Daily News

CHINA ECONOMY

China unveils measures to boost economic growth
Gabriel Wildau in Shanghai

The move, announced late Monday, came the same day as an injection of $74bn into the banking system by the People’s Bank of China through its Medium-term Lending Facility — the central bank’s largest ever, single-day cash injection using that tool.
The fiscal measures provide growing evidence that policymakers are concerned about how the trade war with the US will exacerbate a domestic slowdown and follow a recent series of monetary loosening actions.
The PBoC has already cut the required reserve ratio (RRR) for some banks three times this year in a bid to boost the money supply.
Unveiling the measures, the State Council cited external “uncertainty” — an apparent reference to the escalating trade war with the US — while also seeking to downplay market concerns that China is backsliding on structural reform and reverting to its traditional playbook of heavy-handed credit stimulus.
“We must persist in not conducting ‘big water overflowing-style’ strong stimulus while . . . responding to uncertainty in the external environment and preserving economic activity within a reasonable range,” premier Li Keqiang told the State Council.
The cabinet also pledged to ensure “appropriate” credit growth. Data for June showed money supply and credit expanding at a record low pace for a fourth consecutive month.
Local governments are urged to speed up disbursal of unused fiscal revenue and called on financial institutions to ensure adequate lending to local governments’ off-budget financing vehicles so that projects are not delayed.
The latter measure marks a shift in emphasis after a period in which the finance ministry was focused on controlling disguised borrowing through off-budget channels.
China’s GDP grew at its slowest pace since 2016 in the second quarter, and economists expect the deceleration to continue through the rest of this year. That is leading policymakers to pivot away from a previous emphasis on restraining debt and shift towards stimulus.
The cabinet’s announcement late Monday also authorised Rmb6.5bn ($953m) in tax cuts for corporate investment in research and development and accelerated issuance of special bonds to finance local government infrastructure projects.
The government will promote privately funded projects in transport, oil and gas, and telecommunications, the cabinet said.
China’s blue-chip CSI 300 index was 1.6 per cent higher at midday, while an index of mainland stocks traded in Hong Kong was up 2.4 per cent.
“We take the [State Council] statement as a confirmation of policy stance changing from tightening toward loosening,” wrote Zhiwei Zhang, chief China economist at Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong.
“The change of monetary stance has already happened in [the second quarter] with the RRR cut and injection of liquidity through MLF. The new message from the meeting today is that fiscal policy will become incrementally more expansionary.”
The emphasis on fiscal measures comes after a central bank official this month issued an unusually blunt public criticism of the finance ministry, accusing it of failing to carry out the government’s official “proactive” fiscal stance by allowing unspent revenue to accumulate.

Today’s Inspiration

Therefore you have no excuse or defense or justification, O man, whoever you are who judges and condemns another. For in posing as judge and passing sentence on another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge are habitually practicing the very same things [that you censure and denounce].

— Romans 2:1 (AMPC)

JULY 24, 2018
The Negative Effect of Judging Others

In other words, the very same things that we judge others for, we do ourselves.

The Lord gave me a very good example once to help me understand this principle. I was pondering why we would do something ourselves and think it was perfectly all right, but judge someone else who does it. He said, “Joyce, you look at yourself through rose-colored glasses, but you look at everyone else through a magnifying glass.”

We make excuses for our own behavior, but when someone else does the same thing we do, we are often merciless. Doing unto others as we want them to do to us (see Matthew 7:12) is a good life principle that will prevent a lot of judgment and criticism, if followed.

A judgmental mind is an offshoot of a negative mind—thinking about what is wrong with an individual instead of what is right. Be positive and not negative! Others will benefit, but you will benefit more than anyone.

Prayer Starter: Father, I ask for Your help to change the way I think of others. Please help me to not focus on the negative but to think of people the way I want them to think of me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Monday April 2, 2018

// January 16th, 2018 // Comments Off on Monday April 2, 2018 // Daily News

Citigroup earnings top expectations, excluding $19 billion charge for tax law changes

Citigroup reported quarterly earnings on Tuesday that beat expectations. The big bank also reported a charge of roughly $19 billion following a revamp to the U.S. tax code.
The bank reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.28 for the fourth quarter of 2017. Analysts polled by Reuters expected earnings to come in at $1.19. Revenue came in roughly in line with expectations at $17.255 billion.
Citigroup also took at one-time, non-cash charge of about $22 billion for the quarter. The company said that approximately $19 billion are due to “re-measurement of DTA arising from reduction in the U.S. corporate tax rate and shift to territorial tax regime.”
Last month, President Trump signed a bill that slashed the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. While the new law is expected to be a long-term positive for most companies, several announced they would have to take one-time charges stemming from the changes.

Today’s Inspiration

But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace–His undeserved favor and mercy–you have been saved from God’s judgment).

— Ephesians 2:4-5

Sometimes, when life gets discouraging, the best thing we can do is remind ourselves of the nature of God’s love.

One of the most beautiful things the Bible says is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (see Romans 5:8). He did not wait for us to deserve His love. He loves us unconditionally. To be honest, that’s hard for many of us to comprehend because we are so accustomed to having to earn everything in life.

Because of His great, wonderful and intense love for us, God poured His life out for us freely. That is revolutionary love—real, revolutionary love that gives itself away because it can never be satisfied doing anything less.

It is God’s unconditional love that draws us to Him, His amazing grace that erases our sin, and His powerful sacrifice that makes a way for us to enter His presence. His love will never quit, never give up, and never leave you. Whenever you feel down or depressed, remember the great love that God has for you.

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