New orders for key U.S.-manufactured capital goods dropped by 1.3 percent in April, marking the largest drop in six months, according to data issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce on Tuesday.
Capital goods orders, which exclude defense and aircraft goods, are seen as a barometer of business investment.
Data shows that the number was a 1.3 percent down in April, marking the largest drop since October last year, suggesting business spending on equipment weakened at the start of the second quarter.
According to a report from American media on Tuesday, a survey shows that 55 percent of Americans surveyed believe that Trump's tariff policies were unclear, and the impacts of tariffs have exacerbated economic uncertainty.
On the same day, a survey released by the Detroit Regional Chamber in Michigan showed that 54 percent of respondents believe that U.S. tariff policies will have a negative impact on the state's economy. And 62 percent of respondents believe that the U.S. economy is either weakening or heading towards a recession.
US core capital goods orders decline in April
US core capital goods orders decline in April
The United States cannot legitimize an operation that attacked Venezuela and captured its president, a Chinese scholar said Sunday.
On Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were 'captured and flown out of Venezuela' according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.
Teng Jianqun, director of the Center for Diplomatic Studies at Hunan Normal University, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the aim of this operation is to take full control of Venezuela’s natural resources.
"I don't think the United States can legitimize this operation to take custody of the president of Venezuela. And also I don't think the United States can legitimize its any action in taking the oil reserves of that country. This is actually a very dangerous game played by the Trump administration. And of course, the United States would like to take full control of that country and to take full control of the natural resources, especially the large reserve of oil in Venezuela," said Teng.
Teng said Venezuela is not an isolated case but a common practice by the United States. The United States launched an invasion of Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, which continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.
"We still remember the so-called sentence of the former president of Panama in the late 1980s. And this time, the president of Venezuela will be under some judicial condition (judicial proceedings) for the so-called drug trafficking and some other crimes. So I think this is not a single case for the Venezuela country, but also this is actually a practice by the United States -- to use force, to use so-called justice under law against any leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean waters," he said.
US cannot legitimize operation against Venezuela: Chinese scholar
