2017 and all that

摘要

WE FAILED totally to foresee the political upheavals of 2016. Unabashed, here are some of our predictions, or rather observations, for 2017. Early signs are that economic prospects for the US under President Trump are looking disconcertingly rosy. Encouraged by a $1tn infrastructure spending programme, and a more nebulous feeling that Trump is, after all, a businessman, business confidence is up — the Dow Jones index has risen steadily from 18,000 just before the election to come close to knocking at the 20,000 level, while the US purchasing managers' index rose to 53.2 in November, above expectations and the highest level for five months.