Nations – Page 28241 – Prologue Journal

If Tennessee’s Legislature Looks Broken, It’s Not Alone.

New York Times State legislatures around the country — plagued by partisan division, uncompetitive races and gerrymandering — reflect the current pressures on democracy. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/us/tennessee-house-republicans.html

China’s gas imports down 3.6% in Q1, oil imports up 6.7% — customs

Disclaimer: TASS is Russian government propaganda, and not a reliable news source. In March, China’s gas and oil imports added 2.3% and 28.3% month-on-month, respectively, to 8.86 mln and 52.3 mln tons https://tass.com/economy/1603539

Uniqlo Owner Posts Higher First-Half Net Profit, Raises Annual Guidance

Wall Street Journal Fast Retailing Co. said that its first-half net profit rose 4.5% from a year earlier thanks to stronger Uniqlo sales globally and raised its annual earnings forecasts. https://www.wsj.com/articles/uniqlo-owner-posts-4-5-rise-in-first-half-net-profit-raises-annual-guidance-81c42251

China’s foreign trade down 2.9% in Q1 to $1.43 trillion — customs

Disclaimer: TASS is Russian government propaganda, and not a reliable news source. In March, China’s foreign trade volume amounted to $542.98 bln, up by 32% compared with February, while exports rose by 47.4% to $315.58 bln https://tass.com/economy/1603525

US Treasury Yield Curve Inversions Seen Fading Gradually

Wall Street Journal The Treasury yield curve remains inverted but the inversion is receding and the curve is “bull steepening” again, DJE Kapital said. https://www.wsj.com/articles/us-treasury-yield-curve-inversions-seen-fading-gradually-3d3ba81a

Formerly pro-Russian MP now only sees Ukraine in NATO and does not believe in existence of “good Russians”

Pravda Ukraine Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih military administration, believes that the concept of “good Russians” is merely an idea they are trying to justify the aggressor country with. Source: Vilkul in an interview with “Ukrainska Pravda” Details: In an interview, Vilkul said, “I sincerely believed that the model of Finland, Sweden, and…

Imperial Brands Sees Flat First-Half Growth; Full-Year on Track

Wall Street Journal Imperial Brands said it expected to meet full-year guidance and that first-half adjusted operating profit is expected to be at a similar level to last year on a constant currency basis. https://www.wsj.com/articles/imperial-brands-sees-1h-profit-around-flat-on-year-on-track-to-meet-full-year-guidance-6111cb4f

Taiwan shares close down 0.8%

Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Taiwan shares ended down 128.21 points, or 0.8 percent, at 15,804.76 Thursday on turnover of NT$253.42 billion (US$8.31 billion). https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202304130006

Top diplomats of Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan hold closed-door meeting in Samarkand

Disclaimer: TASS is Russian government propaganda, and not a reliable news source. In addition to the conference on Afghanistan, on Friday, Sergey Lavrov will participate in a meeting of top CIS diplomats and a ministerial meeting in a Russia-Central Asia format https://tass.com/politics/1603511

U.K. Economy Stagnates

Wall Street Journal U.K. GDP held steady in February, slightly undershooting expectations, after public-sector strikes hit activity in the services sector. https://www.wsj.com/articles/uk-economy-stagnated-in-february-after-labor-strikes-hit-activity-a92ff96a