Trump Administration Labels China a “Currency Manipulator”: What’s behind the accusation, and who’s right?

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

© 2019 Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers Business School At 5 o’clock in the morning on August 5, 2019, unable to sleep, Trump tweeted about China—not for the first time accusing it of being a “currency manipulator,”[1] and describing this as a “major violation.” (See Figure 1 below.) Treasury Secretary Mnuchin followed with an official announcement … Continue reading Trump Administration Labels China a “Currency Manipulator”: What’s behind the accusation, and who’s right?

India Jumps 30 Places Higher in World Bank Rankings: Update on “Thousands of Hindu Gods – Made in China”

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

© 2017, Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers Business School This is an update to my September 7, 2017 post, in which I described seven reasons why India’s manufacturing competitiveness still lags behind China’s — but also how the Modi government is taking steps to alleviate the bottlenecks. (See reader comments in the original post.) Click for PDF of … Continue reading India Jumps 30 Places Higher in World Bank Rankings: Update on “Thousands of Hindu Gods – Made in China”

Xinhua Interviews Farok Contractor about China’s Economic Growth: October 10, 2017

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In the past five years there’s been a lot of significant achievements, such as the inclusion of the RMB (or the yuan) in the IMF SDR basket, which is putting China on the path to becoming a recognized internationally tradable currency. Interview: China could sustain 6 pct growth rate in medium term: U.S. expert Source: … Continue reading Xinhua Interviews Farok Contractor about China’s Economic Growth: October 10, 2017

Thousands of Hindu Gods – Made in China: Seven Bottlenecks to Indian Manufacturing

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

NOTE: THIS POST WAS UPDATED ON NOVEMBER 13, 2017. A version of the original post also appeared as an article on YaleGlobal Online October 24, 2017 as  Made in China: Millions of Hindu Gods. An embarrassing tale about India’s manufacturing competitiveness. But there is hope. © 2017, Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers Business School Images of Deities … Continue reading Thousands of Hindu Gods – Made in China: Seven Bottlenecks to Indian Manufacturing

What’s at Stake in China-US Relations? An Estimate of Jobs and Money Involved in the Bilateral Economic Tie

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© 2017 Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers Business School   Recommended Citation: Contractor, Farok J. What is at stake in China-US relations? an estimate of jobs and money involved in the bilateral economic tie. Rutgers Business Review, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 1–22 (2017). •  This is an updated version of my January 15, 2017 post.  A version … Continue reading What’s at Stake in China-US Relations? An Estimate of Jobs and Money Involved in the Bilateral Economic Tie

Four Salient Facts about the Chinese Yuan

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© 2017 Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers Business School On February 23, 2017, just hours after his new Treasury secretary pledged a more methodical approach to analyzing Beijing's foreign exchange practices, President Donald Trump declared: "Well...I think they're grand champions at manipulation of currency. So I haven't held back.... We'll see what happens."  — Reuters Four Salient Facts: … Continue reading Four Salient Facts about the Chinese Yuan

What’s at Stake in China-US Relations? Job and Money Calculations Under Various (Trumpian) Scenarios

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

© 2017 Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers Business School This post was updated on March 10, 2017 as What’s at Stake in China-US Relations? An Estimate of Jobs and Money Involved in the Bilateral Economic Tie—click to be automatically redirected. A shorter version was published as an article on YaleGlobal Online February 28, 2017, as  Disrupting US-China Relations Will Incur … Continue reading What’s at Stake in China-US Relations? Job and Money Calculations Under Various (Trumpian) Scenarios

Update: Is China a “currency manipulator”? Donald Trump says so

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

SEE UPDATED POST, AUGUST 11, 2019: Trump Administration Labels China a “Currency Manipulator”: What’s behind the accusation, and who’s right? © 2016 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers Business School This article is a 2016 update of my original post of November 16, 2015. It has also been published on The Conversation as Does China manipulate its currency … Continue reading Update: Is China a “currency manipulator”? Donald Trump says so

IMF Elevates Yuan to Elite Currency Status: So what?

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

© 2015 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University Governor of the People’s Bank of China (China’s central bank) since 2002 and a cautious and methodical bureaucrat, Zhou is the essence of his country’s Mandarin class: canny and understated, but relentless in his objective to elevate China’s economy and currency to elite status. Under Zhou’s watch, China’s exports … Continue reading IMF Elevates Yuan to Elite Currency Status: So what?

Is China a “currency manipulator”? Donald Trump says so

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

© 2015 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University After 20 years, the Chinese government must be used to it—being bashed by US politicians and Congress as a “currency manipulator.” Indeed, the exchange value of the yuan (or renminbi [RMB]) is fixed each morning by its central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), with a … Continue reading Is China a “currency manipulator”? Donald Trump says so