Italian Optimism, Gradual ECB, Rising U.S. Debt Pile: Eco Day

(Bloomberg) -- Happy Friday, Europe. Here’s the latest news from Bloomberg Economics:

• The controversial budget plans of Italy’s populist government are hanging on an economic premise that looks too optimistic
  • Still on Italy. The government is scrapping the previous administration’s efforts to limit Chinese investment in strategic sectors in favor of fostering relations with Beijing
• Slow and gradual: European Central Bank officials stressed they will only gradually scale back extraordinary monetary stimulus as they try to nudge inflation higher amid rising political and trade risks
• Total eclipse: The U.S. government’s interest payments have now surpassed Belgium’s total economic output
• Stay away: New Zealand’s central bank made a renewed bid to keep a Treasury Department official away from interest-rate decisions, newly released emails show
• Export-dependent Singapore has a strong warning: Damage from a prolonged trade war will be severe
• Stuck in between: Hong Kong has long marketed itself as the gateway into China for foreign firms, especially America -- and that’s now precisely its problem
• Hawkish or not: The Reserve Bank of India will probably hike interest rates for a third straight time this year on Friday, with inflation risks from a weak rupee and rising oil prices outweighing worries of a credit crunch
• Spending rise: Japan’s base pay and household spending both rose by the most in years in August, adding to signs that consumers are beginning to feel the nation’s economic recovery

To contact the reporter on this story: Anirban Nag in Mumbai at anag8@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nasreen Seria at nseria@bloomberg.net, Karthikeyan Sundaram, Tuhin Kar

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