New York Times (November 9)
Brazil “had been on an upward trajectory, that seemed to have shaken off the legacy of instability.” Instead, it “suffered a terrible recession and is experiencing a very slow recovery.” The nation “appears to have been hit by a perfect storm of bad luck and bad policy: The global environment deteriorated sharply…. Domestic private spending also plunged… Policy, instead of fighting the slump, exacerbated it.”
Tags: Bad luck, Bad policy, Brazil, Instability, Perfect storm, Recession, Recovery, Spending
Chicago Tribune (November 8)
“If Trump or his administration move to impede or end Mueller’s work, the president will do so at his own peril. Many in the country—us included—would see that as an attack on the rule of law and a blatant effort to subvert justice.”
Tags: Administration, Blatant, Impede, Justice, Mueller, Peril. Attack, Rule of law, Trump
The New Yorker (November 7)
“A Democratic majority in the House will not only thwart Donald Trump’s legislative ambitions; it could also intensify the state of crisis and siege in Washington” because the result was mixed. “The vote certainly was not a decisive repudiation of Trump, nor was it anything like the resounding endorsement he craved.”
Tags: Crisis, Democratic, Endorsement, House, Majority, Repudiation, Thwart, Trump, U.S., Washington
LA Times (November 5)
Though the “Trump administration slapped tough U.S. sanctions on Iran’s energy, banking and shipping industries,” there are “gaping holes” as the White House “granted waivers to the six largest importers of Iranian oil.” China, India, South Korea, Turkey, Italy and Japan accounted for “more than 75% of Iran’s oil exports last year.”
Tags: Banking, China, Energy, Exports, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Oil, Sanctions, Shipping, South Korea, Trump, Turkey, U.S., Waivers
Wall Street Journal (November 5)
“A wave of stock-picking firms are stepping up their fight against cheap exchange-traded and index funds with new offerings that dial back fees if they can’t beat the market.”
The Economist (November 3)
It’s “sunrise in Tokyo… After three decades out of fashion, the country’s companies are ready for a revival.” At last, “Japan’s stock market is poised for a comeback.” Japan has had and still has its detractors, but “for the first time in years, Japanese companies are playing a tune that investors are able to whistle.”
Bloomberg (November 2)
China’s belt and road master plan “to project Chinese power, influence and trade across much of the world could well undermine all three.” The trillion-dollar global infrastructure scheme has gotten out of control. “A scaled-down, better-managed Belt and Road—guided more by economics and less by politics—should, as intended, promote growth and trade across the region and beyond. That would serve everybody’s interests.”
Tags: Belt and road, China, Economics, Growth, Influence, Infrastructure, Politics, Power, Trade
WIRED (November 1)
The walkout at Google was “just the latest sign of tech worker unrest.” Tech workers are “starting to recognize that even well-paid tech jobs are not immune to” harassment and other internal workplace issues, as well as ethical concerns over the products they sell. Thursday’s protest was just “the latest in a string of collective actions by tech workers against their employers” that has included “similar attempts inside Microsoft, Salesforce, and Amazon.”
Tags: Amazon, Employers, Ethical, Google, Harassment, Microsoft, Products, Salesforce, Tech worker, Unrest, Walkout, Well-paid, Workplace issues
Reuters (November 1)
Expect some Brexit volatility for the pound. “With less than five months until the marriage is due to end, the two sides have yet to finalise a divorce settlement and if none is made by the end of March,” the current consensus is that “sterling will fall to $1.20.” The same poll of economists predicted “the pound would bounce to $1.35 if a deal is made.”
New York Times (October 31)
Angela Merkel “is doing the right thing in stepping down…. The best leaders are those who know when it’s time to exit.” But Europe will lose a “remarkable” leader who was “compassionate when hearts grew cold, committed to unity when others abandoned it.”
Tags: Compassionate, Europe, Exit, Germany, Heart, Leader, Merkel, Remarkable, Unity
