Trump-Xi Deal, China Recovery Query, Inflation Whodunit: Eco Day

(Bloomberg) -- Welcome to Thursday, Asia. Here’s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to help get your day started:

• Senior U.S. and Chinese officials are scheduling more face-to-face trade talks in an effort to reach a deal by early May that presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping could sign later that month
• China may be poised to take more stimulus steps to drive an expansion showing renewed signs of health. While the economy is showing clear signs of stabilizing, what’s less certain is the strength and durability of the recovery, says Chang Shu
• If economics were literature, the story of what happened to inflation would be a gripping whodunit
• The German economy is turning into Europe’s underperformer, with the government now predicting 2019 will see the weakest expansion in six years. Inflation in the euro area has also slowed in recent months and risks are mounting, says Maeva Cousin
• Economists are more upbeat about first-quarter U.S. gross domestic product after Wednesday’s report showing the trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed in February
• Five years ago, Joko Widodo swept to power as a political outsider promising to unlock the potential of the world’s fourth-most populous nation. After winning another term on Wednesday, it’s time to deliver
• South Korea’s central bank is expected to leave its key interest rate unchanged on Thursday, with investor focus turning to its outlook for economic growth and inflation
• The animosity between Japan and South Korea that has persisted for so many generations can sometimes show signs of easing. At least among younger people
• Benjamin Netanyahu the finance minister would find a lot not to like about Israel’s economy these days
• India’s new government should review the central bank’s inflation goals, including whether consumer prices or the underlying core measure is the appropriate target to use to determine interest rates
• Inflation that’s projected to reach an eyeball-popping 8 million percent this year has left Venezuela saddled with the title of the world’s most miserable economy

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Heath in Sydney at mheath1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nasreen Seria at nseria@bloomberg.net, Chris Bourke

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.