It is hard to get away from the fact that newsflow on the US/China trade dispute on a near-daily basis gives traders cause for direction and varied levels of risk appetite. Mixed signals on almost a daily basis at the moment. The suggestion from Chinese state media (very much a mouthpiece for the government) over the weekend was that negotiations are “constructive”. However, this has been contradicted by a report yesterday, citing a Chinese government official who suggested that China is “pessimistic” over a deal due to Trump’s reluctance to reduce tariffs. The significance of this apparent contradiction is ... (full story)