U.S. Training, Trump-Xi Talks, German Factory Gloom: Eco Day

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Good morning Americas. Here’s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to help get your Thursday started:

• From hotels to fast food chains, U.S. employers in service industries are setting up training programs or revamping the ones they have
• 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
  • Expectations for a deal are helping to prod global investment banks to dial up their forecasts for Chinese economic growth
• German manufacturing remained in a slump at the start of the second quarter, casting a cloud over the euro-area economy as well as the European Central Bank’s hopes for a quick recovery
• U.K. retail sales increased for a third consecutive month in March, with online shopping and groceries accounting for much of the improvement
• Inflation, the guiding star of monetary policy, has all but disappeared in developed economies. Some say it could be a decade or more before it makes a comeback
  • Still, inflation is projected to reach an eyeball-popping 8 million percent this year in Venezuela, leaving the nation saddled with the title of the world’s most miserable economy
• Finally: The latest episode of our Stephanomics podcast investigates how new technologies can save jobs

To contact the reporter on this story: David Goodman in London at dgoodman28@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Fergal O'Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net, Zoe Schneeweiss

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