Scientific American (April 11)
The Atlantic Ocean appears be in “slow motion,” with circulation now the “weakest in 1,600 years.” If further research bears out the conclusion that “hemisphere-spanning currents are slowing, greater flooding and extreme weather could be at hand,” especially on the U.S. east coast, but possibly extending to Europe, which could battle more severe heat waves.
Tags: Atlantic, Circulation, Currents, Europe, Extreme weather, Flooding, Heat waves, Ocean, Slowing, U.S.
Financial Times (April 11)
“For decades, Japan has struggled to remove barriers to the growth of technology start-ups,” but risk aversion and social pressure caused job seekers to focus on established companies. “That may be changing” as economic stagnation “threatens lifetime employment at big companies. More young people are joining start-ups or even going freelance to enjoy flexibility in their working life. Part-time or contract workers now account for about 40 per cent of Japan’s workforce.”
Tags: Barriers, Contract, Established, Freelance, Japan, Jobs, Lifetime employment, Part-time, Risk, Start-ups, Technology, Workforce
New York Times (April 10)
“Mr. Trump has spent his career in the company of…grifters, cons, sharks, goons and crooks. He cuts corners, he lies, he cheats, he brags about it, and for the most part, he’s gotten away with it, protected by threats of litigation, hush money and his own bravado.” Not, apparently, much longer. “Mr. Trump now has real reason to be afraid. A raid on a lawyer’s office doesn’t happen every day.” In fact, it only happens when investigators have real “reason to believe they’d find evidence of a crime there and that they didn’t trust the lawyer not to destroy that evidence.”
Tags: Bravado, Cheats, Cons, Crime, Crooks, Evidence, Goons, Hush money, Lawyer’s office, Lies, Raid, Threats, Trump
New York Times (April 10)
“Mr. Trump wouldn’t be the first person to stumble into a one-night stand and find he has generated a decades-long relationship. But he may very well be the first president. As matters stand, there is the distinct possibility that the president’s legal clinch with Stormy Daniels will outlast his presidency.”
Tags: Legal clinch, One-night stand, President, Stormy Daniels, Trump
Washington Post (April 9)
“Monday, April 9, marks Day 444 of the Trump administration. America is being held hostage by a spectacularly unfit narcissist who refuses to grow into the job and a Republican-controlled Congress that refuses to hold him accountable.”
Tags: Accountable, Congress, Hostage, Narcissist, Republican, Trump, U.S., Unfit
The Independent (April 8)
“As the international swooning over the young, vigorous and cool French President Emmanuel Macron continues almost unabated, a dissident voice has piped up that will play well for this (so far) very lucky politician.” Very few French are likely to side with Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, who called Macron a wimp and a hit man, and also alleged he was destroying France.
The Economist (April 7)
“America’s leading manufacturer of electric vehicles is under pressure. Mr Musk is fighting battles on many fronts and they all exacerbate his main threat: a financial squeeze that could eventually push Tesla over the edge…. Rising interest rates, a wobbly share price and a continued inability to meet its own production goals would all conspire to make it harder for the firm to find capital. It does not help that General Motors, Volkswagen and other big rivals are making massive investments in EVs.”
Tags: Capital, EVs, GM, Interest rates, Manufacturer, Musk, Production goals, Share price, Tesla, U.S., Volkswagen
Reuters (April 6)
On top of February’s big drop in household spending, down 0.9% from a year earlier, “separate data showed wages fell for the third straight month in February, reinforcing the view the Bank of Japan’s 2 percent inflation target will remain a distant goal and keep the bank from dialing back stimulus any time soon.”
Tags: BOJ, Data, February, Household spending, Inflation target, Stimulus, Wages
The Guardian (April 5)
“The tit-for-tat exchange of tariffs between the United States and China gives the impression the world’s two biggest economies are headed down the road towards a trade war, which would have hugely damaging economic consequences. But this could be averted if they continue quiet backroom discussions to open up their markets, particularly China’s.”
Tags: Avert, China, Damaging, Discussions, Economic consequences, it-for-tat, Markets, Tariffs, Trade war, U.S.
Institutional Investor (April 4)
On February 5, after a placid 2017, “the VIX surged from the previous trading day’s close of 17.3 to 37.3…the largest daily percentage increase in the three-decade history of the index, more than doubling in one day.” Some investors have been overreacting to the detriment of performance when they should be simply tuning out the noise. “Volatility can create a risk: that we reduce our market exposure at the point of maximum psychological pain; in other words, we sell at the bottom…. Sometimes the best thing we can do is simply nothing.”
Tags: Bottom, Investors, Market exposure, Overreacting, Pain, Performance, Risk, Sell, VIX, Volatility
