Economic data, geopolitics in focus this week

IT appears that there are no clear winners in the US-China trade war, as markets around the world, including in the US, were dragged down at the end of last week by signs of slowing Chinese economic growth.

Robust export data earlier in the week had failed to dispel worries about the trade tariffs' impact on the Chinese economy, as analysts chalked it up to front-loading activities from traders rushing shipments to the US before higher tariffs kick in next year.

Last Friday, China's producer price index showed that factory-gate inflation slowed for a fourth month in October on cooling domestic deman…