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Trump’s China tariff talk clouds IMF, World Bank meetings | The Express Tribune

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Trump’s China tariff talk clouds IMF, World Bank meetings | The Express Tribune


Finance chiefs gathering in Washington this week were ready to discuss the global economy’s surprising resilience in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff assaults – until US-China trade war rhetoric reignited with the US president threatening 100% duties on Chinese imports and whipsawing financial markets, Reuters reported.

The annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank are now certain to be dominated by questions over whether Trump’s vow to retaliate against China’s dramatically expanded export controls on rare earths will plunge the world’s two largest economies back into a full-blown trade war.

Trump’s said his new tariffs and export curbs would take effect on November 1 and threatened to cancel a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month in South Korea. The duties would shatter a delicate truce crafted by Washington and Beijing over five months that brought tariffs down from triple-digit levels and prompted improved IMF global growth forecasts.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday sought to walk back the threat, telling Fox Business Network that he believed the Trump-Xi meeting would proceed and that there would be US-China staff-level meetings this week on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank gathering.

“The 100% tariff does not have to happen,” Bessent said. “The relationship, despite this announcement last week, is good. Lines of communication have reopened, so we’ll see where it goes.”

Bessent added that the US would “stand firm” against the new global Chinese rare earths export controls, while Trump said on the Truth Social media site on Sunday: “Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine!”

The softer tone sparked a strong rebound in US stocks at the start of trading in New York on Monday, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index up more than 2% and other major indexes up more than 1%.

Martin Muehleisen, a former IMF strategy chief who is now with the Atlantic Council, said Trump’s threats may be posturing for negotiating leverage, but said they will inject volatility into the week’s proceedings.

While China has some leverage over Trump due to its global dominance in rare earths, which are essential for tech manufacturing, Muehleisen said it is not in Beijing’s interest to plunge back into an environment of triple-digit tariffs.

Prior to the escalation on Friday, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva had touted the global economy’s ability to withstand multiple shocks, from tariff costs and uncertainty to a slowing US job market, rising debt levels and rapid shifts brought on by AI’s rapid adoption.

In a preview of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook forecasts due on Tuesday, Georgieva said last week that the global GDP growth rate for 2025 would be only slightly less than the 3.3% for 2024. Based on tariff rates that were lower than initially feared – including the US-China duties – the IMF in July raised its 2025 GDP growth forecast by two-tenths of a percentage point to 3.0%.

Finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrial democracies are expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss efforts to step up sanctions pressure on Russia that is aimed at ending Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

A British government source said that finance minister Rachel Reeves wanted to ensure joint action with G7 and European Union countries to cut Russia’s energy revenues and access to overseas assets that comply with international law.

Among these options that G7 ministers will discuss is a European Union plan to use Russian frozen sovereign assets to back a loan of 140 billion euros ($162 billion) to Ukraine.

The US footprint at the meetings will be large, extending from tariff discussions to Bessent’s calls for the IMF and World Bank to pull back from climate and gender issues to focus on their core missions of financial stability and development.

Muehleisen, the former IMF official, said the Fund risks being pushed by its largest shareholder to enforce Trump’s geopolitical goals – ratcheting up pressure on China and potentially extending more aid to US allies like Argentina without adequate reforms.

“Is it really still a global, multilateral organisation, or is it becoming a bit more of an appendage of the US Treasury?” he said



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Dr Reddys, Titan & more: Top stocks to buy on December 3 — Check list – The Times of India

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Dr Reddys, Titan & more: Top stocks to buy on December 3 — Check list – The Times of India


HSBC has a buy on Dr Reddys Labs with the target price at Rs 1,430. Analysts said that the semaglutide opportunity is intact for Dr Reddy’s in Canada, and it has replied to Health Canada’s queries on its application. GLP-1 drugs class remains the company’s focus segment and it is making progress in long-term drivers like biosimilars. Health Canada approval for generic semaglutide will be a key catalyst for the stock.Goldman Sachs has a buy on Titan with the target price at Rs 4,500. Analysts said the company expects a 15-20% growth in its jewellery business in the medium term. The company is maintaining jewellery margins despite headwinds. Its consolidated earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) growth is ahead of standalone jewellery EBIT growth, driven by the strong trajectory of Caratlane, watches and other businesses. Titan’s eyewear business is strong in the premium segment and it is exploring how to address the mass market opportunity.Bernstein has and outperform rating on Trent with the target price cut to Rs 5,000. Analysts said they believe that the company’s revenue growth now is at a bottom. From here on the key drivers of recovery are like-for-like for split stores turns positive with base effect, about 20% compounded annual growth rate in Zudio network for three years, improved consumer demand cycle and growth in Westside business. On the other hand the key risk remains the competitive upsurge (more stores and replicating Zudio’s fashion sense and demand pull).CLSA has an outperform rating on Power Grid Corp with the target price at Rs 342. Analysts said that the company’s entry into the battery energy storage systems (BESS) should be a positive surprise with it emerging as a preferred bidder for a 150MW project. The company’s strategy of entering adjacencies such as BESS inside a transmission substation as it is likely to win the BESS concession at 11% above the price of lowest bid. They expect the company to scale-up its BESS portfolio to multi-GW with its competitive advantage of a 100 basis points (= 1 percentage point) lower interest rate versus private competitors.Macquarie has an outperform rating on ITC with the target price at Rs 480. Analysts said that the govt is proposing a new cess on cigarettes, which is likely to replace the compensation cess. This new levy increases uncertainty on taxation for the players, analysts said. In turn this could involve a transition period for things to adapt and normalise to any new system.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)





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Your FDs, RDs, SIPs Are Growing, But Are They Useless? The Biggest Mistake 90% Don’t Even Notice

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Your FDs, RDs, SIPs Are Growing, But Are They Useless? The Biggest Mistake 90% Don’t Even Notice


Personal Finance Tips: Most of us keep saving money through fixed deposits (FDs), recurring deposits (RDs), provident fund (PF) accounts or systematic investment plans (SIPs) without giving it the thought it actually deserves. The bank deduction goes through, the balance inches up, the graph rises and everything looks fine on the surface.

But underneath this rhythm sits a truth that people are saving diligently without knowing what that money is supposed to do for them. This is a money trap that almost everyone walks into.

Investments keep running, but the purpose disappears. The amounts grow, but the “why” behind them turns vague. Once that emotional connection breaks, the whole act becomes routine and lifeless.

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Why Does This Happen?

Most people say they are saving for retirement or putting money aside for the future. These answers sound responsible but reveal very little. What does retirement look like? What kind of future are we imagining? When the mind cannot see a clear picture, it refuses to bond with the goal. That is when investing becomes a cold task.

FDs continue because they have always existed. SIPs continue because the automatic deduction is fixed. After a point, this cycle becomes tiring. Savings continue, but the inner reason for saving slips out of sight.

Purpose Mapping

Purpose Mapping reminds you that money is not meant to lie dormant but to support the kind of life you want. It brings your financial decisions back into your emotional world.

Instead of thinking in numbers, you begin by imagining how you actually want your daily life to look. A person may say, “I want the freedom to shift to a smaller town by the age of 45,” or “I want to be able to take a six-month career break without fear or stress,” or even, “If something serious happens at home, I should not feel helpless.”

These statements breathe. They feel real because you can see them unfolding.

Once these lived goals come into focus, the structure of your investments naturally aligns with them. The SIP you invest in each month becomes the cushion for a future career pause. The FD becomes a tool for near-term needs. The emergency fund becomes a source of mental peace rather than an afterthought. At this stage, you are no longer saving out of habit; you are investing with intention.

The emotional link becomes even stronger when each part of your financial plan is tied to a feeling (freedom, safety, peace or control). When money stands for something human, the motivation behind saving never dries up. And when you keep your goals visible, sometimes literally, sometimes in the back of your mind, the process becomes far easier. You no longer feel that you are losing money to deductions; you feel that every deduction is building a specific life.

Life keeps changing, and so should your goals. A review every year helps your investments change in step with you. When your plans move with your life, saving no longer feels like a burden. It becomes a way of staying ready for the life you want to live.



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American Eagle stock jumps 10% as it expects a big holiday, raises forecast after Sydney Sweeney ads

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American Eagle stock jumps 10% as it expects a big holiday, raises forecast after Sydney Sweeney ads


An American Eagle advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney on a billboard in Times Square in New York, US, on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

American Eagle issued bullish holiday guidance and raised its full-year forecast on Tuesday after posting better-than-expected quarterly results

The apparel company is expecting fiscal fourth quarter comparable sales to grow between 8% and 9% – about four times better than the 2.1% analysts had anticipated, according to StreetAccount.

American Eagle is now expecting its full year adjusted operating income to be between $303 million and $308 million – up from its previous range of $255 million to $265 million. 

American Eagle shares rose as much as 15% in extended trading.

The company beat third-quarter expectations on the top and bottom lines. 

Here’s how American Eagle did during the quarter compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: 53 cents vs. 44 cents expected
  • Revenue: $1.36 billion vs. $1.32 billion expected

The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Nov. 1 was $91.34 million, or 53 cents per share, compared with $80.02 million, or 41 cents per share, a year earlier.  

Sales rose to $1.36 billion, up about 6% from $1.29 billion a year earlier.

The results are the first time investors are seeing a full quarter of impact from American Eagle’s splashy campaigns with Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelce.

Companywide, American Eagle saw comparable sales grow 4%, better than the 2.7% analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount. While the business’s overall results topped expectations, they were primarily driven by Aerie, which saw comparable sales rise 11% and revenue jump about 13%. 

At American Eagle, where the campaigns were focused, comparable sales grew just 1%, worse than the 2.1% analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount. 

The company told CNBC the campaigns are “attracting more customers” and creating more attention around the brand, but the results show they have not yet been a major revenue driver.

However, they’re not having a major impact on profits, either. During the quarter, American Eagle’s operating margin was 8.3%, better than the 7.5% analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount. 

Beyond its marketing campaigns, American Eagle told CNBC it saw record revenue in its third quarter and that “strong momentum” carried into the current quarter, where it saw a “record breaking Thanksgiving weekend.”

The rosy holiday commentary comes after peers like Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap and Urban Outfitters posted better than feared results ahead of the crucial holiday shopping season. Investors have been watching discretionary retailers closely to look for slides in consumer demand because of tariffs, but many have proven resilient so far. They’re showing that for now, higher prices aren’t stopping consumers from shopping, as long as they feel like they’re getting good value for their money.

Industrywide holiday outlooks from outside consulting firms have been relatively murky, but the latest slate of earnings from discretionary retailers have been a positive omen for holiday sales. Plus, turnout during the so-called Turkey 5 shopping weekend, the five day stretch between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, was stronger than expected, according to the National Retail Federation.



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