Trade Talks, ECB Wariness, Hong Kong's Retail Pain: Eco Day

(Bloomberg) --

Happy Friday, Europe. Here’s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to take you into the weekend:

• President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. and China are scheduled to discuss trade today -- without giving details
• European Central Bank policy makers wary of ever-more monetary stimulus have fired the first warning shots two weeks before they meet to discuss bolstering the euro-zone economy
  • ECB policy maker Klaas Knot said the euro-area economy isn’t weak enough to warrant the resumption of bond purchases and such a step shouldn’t be taken unless the slowdown worsens
  • Meantime, incoming ECB President Christine Lagarde offered a clear sign that she’s ready to follow Mario Draghi’s path and keep monetary policy ultra loose
  • Euro-area flash inflation data also are due today
• Nigeria’s plan to spend less on food by restricting access to dollars for importers could have the opposite effect by threatening food supplies and pushing up prices
• For many economies that drift into stormy seas, the first port of call is the International Monetary Fund. Soon, and for the first time in its history, the lender’s head will hail from the ranks of those it’s rescued
• Whether it’s glitzy shops in Central or decades-old family businesses along the city’s winding streets, retailers of all levels across Hong Kong these days find themselves struggling in much the same way
• India’s prolonged consumption slowdown and a deteriorating global environment are delaying a recovery in Asia’s third-largest economy
• Indonesia is bracing for a bigger-than-expected shortfall in tax collections as a global slowdown and simmering U.S.-China trade tension weigh on demand
• Here’s our weekly wrap of what’s going on in the world economy

--With assistance from Enda Curran.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Jeffrey Black in Hong Kong at jblack25@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeffrey Black at jblack25@bloomberg.net

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