Jim O’Neill: Global income redistribution could be coming

With discussion of income inequality reaching a fever pitch—from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “tale of two cities” message to the headline-grabbing sermons of Pope Francis—former Goldman Sachs asset management chairman Jim O’Neill believes the global economy could be at a tipping point.

“I wonder if we could be in the very early stages of a redistribution of wealth from capital back to mass income through government policies, whether it be from taxes or things being done to boost minimum wages,” O’Neill told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Wednesday. “But obviously this is something else just as human beings, nevermind investors, that we all have to watch closely.”

China Eclipses U.S. as Biggest Trading Nation Measured in Goods

China surpassed the U.S. to become the world’s biggest trading nation last year as measured by the sum of exports and imports of goods, official figures from both countries show.

U.S. exports and imports of goods last year totaled $3.82 trillion, the U.S. Commerce Department said last week. China’s customs administration reported last month that the country’s trade in goods in 2012 amounted to $3.87 trillion.