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Financial Times (November 19)

2014/ 11/ 20 by jd in Global News

“After three years of near stagnation and with unemployment stuck at double digit levels, it is increasingly clear that the eurozone’s political and economic crisis will intensify if there is no boost to growth.”

 

Washington Post (November 18)

2014/ 11/ 19 by jd in Global News

Shinzo Abe reached two difficult, but “justifiable” decisions. He will postpone the tax increase and seek a new mandate. “The prime minister still represents the best available option to those who regard Japan’s recovery as indispensable to the global economy and, by extension, the U.S. economy.” The U.S. should “do more to support Japan’s economic recovery,” beginning with the passage “of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, whose market-opening provisions could spur Japanese farms and businesses to change their uncompetitive ways.”

 

Reuters (November 18)

2014/ 11/ 18 by jd in Global News

“Japan’s attempts, through Abenomics, to beat back against the tide of demographics may be proving futile.” Though the country may be able to keep printing money, Japan “can’t print people.” Cheap funding won’t stimulate corporate investment unless companies “see both a strong outlook for profits and for market growth,” something that remains unlikely amidst an aging, shrinking population.

 

New York Times (November 16)

2014/ 11/ 17 by jd in Global News

“Recent gains in controlling the Ebola epidemic in West Africa have been encouraging, but they offer no reason for complacency.” The situation is improving in Liberia, stable in Guinea, but worsening in Sierra Leone. To make further progress, donor nations need to “increase their contributions.” To date, Ebola has taken over 5,000 lives.

 

Euromoney (November Issue)

2014/ 11/ 16 by jd in Global News

With returns on some Ukraine sovereign debt exceeding 16%, there are obviously concerns over a possible default. “Ukraine’s policymakers, however, are adamant that default or even restructuring is out of the question. The main reasons given are national pride and, more cogently, a desire to maintain access to international capital markets.”

 

Financial Times (November 12)

2014/ 11/ 15 by jd in Global News

An unexpected announcement at the summit in Beijing may jump start efforts to combat climate change. “China and the US have set aside nearly 20 years of discord over how to combat climate change and laid out their respective plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions.” The breakthrough may “galvanise efforts to seal a global climate pact at the end of next year in Paris.”

 

New York Times (November 12)

2014/ 11/ 14 by jd in Global News

Only 36.3% of U.S. voters even bothered to vote in last week’s election. “The abysmally low turnout in last week’s midterm elections — the lowest in more than seven decades — was bad for Democrats, but it was even worse for democracy. In 43 states, less than half the eligible population bothered to vote, and no state broke 60 percent.”

 

 

Bloomberg (November 11)

2014/ 11/ 13 by jd in Global News

“Oceanographers have detected isotopes linked to Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant off California’s coast, though at levels far below those that could pose a measurable health risk.” While the origin of the isotopes is clear, it is equally clear that the minute levels are absolutely safe, registering about 1,000 times below the EPA’s limits for drinking water.

 

Investment Week (November 10)

2014/ 11/ 12 by jd in Global News

“Investors and fund buyers are increasingly backing Japanese equities as the country boosts its QE programme, and rotates its national pension fund towards domestic equities.”

 

Washington Post (November 10)

2014/ 11/ 11 by jd in Global News

“The Federal Reserve has ended its roughly $3.7 trillion program of bond buying, leaving in its wake a host of hard questions. Did it strengthen the economic recovery? If so, by how much? What are the long-run effects? Should it be used again? We don’t have good answers.” Without more rigorous research, we won’t know whether or in what circumstances quantitative easing should be deployed in the future.

 

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