(Bloomberg) -- Welcome to Thursday, Asia. Here’s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to help get your day started:
- A U.S. government delegation will travel to Beijing in the week of Jan. 7 to hold trade talks with Chinese officials, the first face-to-face discussion since presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed on a 90-day truce
- Trump may get the interest-rate pause he wants as his attacks on the Fed and the government shutdown roil markets and shave growth forecasts. A top White House economic adviser said Trump won’t try to fire Jerome Powell; here’s a recap of Trump’s quotes on the Fed chief. Finally, futures indicate there won’t be any rate hikes at all in 2019
- While damage to the U.S. economy from the shutdown so far remains contained, potential risks are elevated, says Yelena Shulyatyeva. Trump warned he won’t relent unless Congress funds his proposed border wall
- Japan and South Korea, two of the world’s biggest manufacturing and export-driven economies, are heading into 2019 facing similar risks to growth and trade. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on business to offer the kind of wage hikes that can bolster the economy’s growth trend, reminding them raises used to be much higher
- India is showing signs of overcoming tight money conditions, with lending and business activity picking up. Here’s a guide to its upcoming election
- The Richmond Fed’s manufacturing gauge fell by a record as shipments and new orders weakened. Home prices in 20 U.S. cities slowed in October for a seventh consecutive month, extending the longest streak since 2014. U.S. mortgages are on the verge of a rare underperformance
- Trade wars be damned: the global economy is chugging along nicely on one of the world’s busiest sea lanes