Trade war concerns prevail as China welcomes start of a new year

2019 marks the Year of the Pig

In this issue we mark the start of the Chinese new year and the dawning of the Year of the Pig.

While the spring festival is celebrated globally by about a fifth of the world's population, China is also on peoples' minds for less convivial reasons. Last month, figures from Beijing revealed China's real GDP growth for 2018 was the lowest rate the country has experienced since 1990 at 6.6%. This was down from 6.8% in 2017 and follows an ongoing trade war with the US and a pullback in China's corporate spending. Despite the current 90-day truce agreed between the US and China, the trade war is becoming an increasing concern with research from Interactive Investor showing the number...