Trade among G20 nations declines for first time since 2016

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the July G20 Summit. Photo: Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Exports of goods among G20 countries shrank 0.6% in the second quarter of 2018, while imports declined 0.9%, according to new data from the OECD.

The big picture: This is the first contraction in international merchandise trade since Q1 of 2016, ending eight consecutive quarters of growth. The slowdown can be attributed in part to the weakening of emerging market currencies against the dollar, including the Argentine peso (down 18%), the Turkish lira (down 15%) and the Brazilian real (down 11%).

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Biden's China plan: Bring allies

Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Joe Biden is planning to confront China across the globe, embracing some of President Trump's goals but rejecting his means.

The big picture: By starting a trade war with China, Trump has fundamentally altered the U.S.- China relationship — and forced both Republicans and Democrats to accept a more confrontational approach towards Beijing.

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In pictures: Storm Zeta churns inland after lashing Louisiana

Debris on the streets as then-Hurricane Zeta passes over in Arabi, Louisiana, on Oct. 28. It's the third hurricane to hit Louisiana in about two months, after Laura and Delta. Photo: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

Tropical Storm Zeta has killed at least two people, triggered flooding, downed powerlines and caused widespread outages since making landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday.

The big picture: A record 11 named storms have made landfall in the U.S. this year. Zeta is the fifth named storm to do so in Louisiana in 2020, the most ever recorded. It weakened t0 a tropical storm early Thursday, as it continued to lash parts of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle with heavy rains and strong winds.

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