Trade
China shock 2.0 threatens Europe’s industrial core, but it is also forcing a long-overdue response. China stands to lose more than the EU from the coming confrontation. Beijing cannot afford to alienate Europe while its domestic demand remains weak. Europe, meanwhile, can turn protectionism into a stronger fiscal multiplier and an industrial revival.
China does not produce too much. It spends too little. The only viable way for China to reduce investment without raising unemployment is by lowering national savings. Doing so is likely to be politically challenging, however. This suggests that China will suffer from subpar growth and deflationary pressures for the foreseeable future.
As long as the AI boom keeps booming, all other investment considerations will remain on the back burner. However, if the AI trade fizzles, this would expose deep-seated problems within the global economy, which could very well lead to an economic downturn as early as next year.
We do not expect the oil shock to have a lasting effect on inflation. Looking further out, a variety of structural forces will influence inflation, including fiscal policy, globalization, demographics, and AI.
