Gold prices rise as trade war resolution seems distant

Lawmakers are unhappy that Vietnam’s monopoly electricity distributor is raising power tariffs at will because it has no competitor.

The latest petrol and power price hike have directly impacted April’s consumer price index, the General Statistics Office (GSO) says.

With electricity bills a significant part of their production costs, Vietnamese manufacturers are set to increase their selling prices.

The U.S. recent interest hike might result in a high demand for U.S. dollars in Vietnam, weakening the local currency further, experts say.

Last weekend’s increase in fuel prices has stoked fears that Vietnam might not meet its 2018 inflation target.

Vietnam is considering increasing power prices next year due to rising costs, a senior official said.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee decided at a meeting Thursday to hike the environment tax on fuel from next year.

Vietnam won’t increase its fuel tax before 2020, Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung has directed. 

Five trekking options from different regions in the country, some of which are not for the faint-hearted.

Proposed tax increase will boost annual collections by $2.4 billion, it is estimated.

Prices of most popular fuels surged up to 8.5 percent, after four consecutive hikes since the beginning of this year. 

Trump has until April to decide whether or not to slap further steel tariffs on 12 countries, including Vietnam.

Spending on environmental protection has not kept pace with significant tax increases.