The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has slashed the global trade growth estimate to 1.7% in 2016, which is the slowest since the 2009 financial crisis gripped the world. The current forecast is below the April forecast of 2.8%. SEE MORE The exchange rate between the Vietnam dong and the U.S. dollar has fluctuated strongly on the local currency market over the past days. SEE MORE So far this year the State Bank of Vietnam has bought over 10 billion USD in foreign exchange, increasing the country’s reserves to a record high of more than 40 billion USD. SEE MORE On Wednesday (September 14) it was announced that Bayer AG has agreed to buy Monsanto in an all-in cash deal valued at $66 billion, making it not only the biggest deal of the year but also the biggest foreign takeover by a German company. SEE MORE Slow settlement of bad debt will affect economic growth, so the State budget should be used to step up the settlement of bad debt, said Nguyen Xuan Thanh, director of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, at a conference in HCMC. SEE MORE