America’s GDP is growing more slowly (see oil). Japanese trade is getting dragged down by China. Taiwan’s GDP is not growing at all for largely the same reason. Swiss watch exports are slumping hard. Japanese retail sales are on the downside of their perpetual yo-yo-ing. US new home sales are growing at a pretty good clip. Brazil’s unemployment rate is finally falling (for the wrong reason). South African interest rates are going up amid high inflation, a weakening currency, and flagging economic growth. The same factors are eating away at Russian retail sales. Euro zone inflation is picking up.
