Institutional Investor (October 12)
“It’s critical to get fintech regulation right…. The right fintech tools would go a long way toward encouraging innovative and healthy development in the finance sector.”
Bloomberg (October 10)
“Clean coal is far from real…. In the near future, carbon capture promises to be of little help in the fight against climate change—especially compared with natural gas, the increasing supply of renewable power, and the clean energy that nuclear plants produce.”
Tags: Carbon capture, Clean coal, Clean energy, Climate change, Natural gas, Nuclear, Renewable power
Chicago Tribune (October 9)
While “most of the world has remained silent,” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has engaged in sweeping genocide. “Nearly 3,000 people have already been gunned down, either by police or vigilante death squads, encouraged by Duterte, who has promised immunity.” Another 600,000 are “now caged in hideously crowded prisons that already look like concentration camps.” This may be “the logical conclusion of the brutal rhetoric of the drug war,” but “history shows that such dehumanization doesn’t stop crime or drug use — it simply enables it.”
Tags: Concentration camps, Crime, Dehumanization, Drug war, Drugs, Duterte, Genocide, Immunity, Philippines, Prison, Silent, Vigilante death squads
The Economist (October 8)
The Brexit journey “will be complex and perilous, beset by wrong turnings, chicanes and elephant traps…. and Mrs May will determine its course. If Britain is not to suffer a car crash, she must ignore the back-seat drivers and fix her eyes firmly on the road ahead.”
LA Times (October 6)
“President Obama could be right in saying history may judge the ratification of the Paris Agreement as ‘a turning point for our planet.’ But if meaningful reductions in carbon emissions don’t follow, then history will judge this as the moment when the world acknowledged it had a problem, yet failed to fix it. The longer the world—and governments—dillydally, the more likely future generations will regard us as fools.”
CNBC (October 6)
“The world is awash with $152 trillion dollars of debt, according to the IMF, an all-time high which sits at more than double the balance at the start of this century.” In 2002, debt represented 200% of global GDP. At the end of 2015, this figure had risen to 225% and “signifies the extent to which increases in borrowing have outpaced economic growth during the period.”
Tags: Borrowing, Debt, Economic growth, GDP, IMF
Bloomberg (October 5)
“Even though polls show a receding chance of Donald Trump becoming U.S. president, money managers wary of public opinion being proved wrong are increasingly looking toward Japan for an ideal hedge.” If Trump somehow pulls off a victory, it “could send cash flooding into the yen, which acts as a haven.”
Tags: Haven, Hedge, Japan, Money managers, Polls, President, Public opinion, Trump, U.S., Yen
New York Times (October 5)
The Brexit “reality is that Britain has a lot to lose in leaving the union, and that putting a two-year limit on the negotiations further weakens an already shaky hand.” Following Prime Minister May’s announcement of a timetable for withdrawal, “the prompt plunge of the British currency to a 31-year low against the dollar provided a far louder response than the misguided cheers of her fellow Conservative Party members.”
Financial Times (October 3)
“By announcing that she will start the formal negotiations for Britain to leave the EU by March 2017, the prime minister has walked into a trap. She has given away what little leverage Britain has in the negotiations — without receiving any of the assurances that she needs to achieve a successful outcome.” This will allow the EU to “simply run the clock down — knowing that the UK will be in an increasingly difficult situation.”
Tags: Assurances, Britain, EU, Leverage, May, Negotiations, Outcome, Prime minister
Institutional Investor (October 2)
The Securities Exchange Commission is conducting a pilot program to determine whether a wider tick range will help drive liquidity and research, while reducing volatility. “Proponents believe a wider spread–$0.05, instead of the current $0.01 on exchanges—will lead to more displayed liquidity and thus an easier trading regime.” Over the next two years, 400 stocks will trade at the widened tick, while 1,200 stocks will serve as a control and two other groups of 400 stocks will test the effects of other variations.
