The Economist (September 6)
“Insurgents who want to smash the system often end up running it.” Europe’s hard right is a threat to the economy and leading or polling strong in Britain, France and Germany. “In Italy they are in power; in the Netherlands they briefly led a coalition; and in Poland in June their presidential candidate saw off the nominee from the centre. By 2027 the hard right could be in office in economies worth getting on for half of European GDP.” The best case scenario is ” stagnation, at worst a bond-market rout.”
Tags: Bond-market rout, Britain, Economy, Europe, European GDP, France, Germany, Hard right, Insurgents, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Polling, Power, Smash, Stagnation, Threat
The Guardian (July 9)
“As the climate crisis throws its destructive effects ever more fully in our faces, cities during heatwaves are their own type of ground zero.” We need to “create more green spaces and more tolerable streets” Make no mistake, “extreme heat is our future” so “European cities must adapt.” It is true that “greenery, shade and swimming spots won’t solve the climate crisis, but they’re becoming ever more critical.”
Tags: Cities, Climate crisis, Critical, Destructive effects, Europe, Future, Green spaces, Ground zero, Heatwaves, Shade, Streets. Extreme heat, Swimming spots, Tolerable
The Guardian (June 26)
“A broken housing market is driving inequality right across Europe – and fuelling the far right.” One might think “rising costs are a problem particular to your community, city or country. But unaffordable house prices and rents are a continent-wide issue.” And it’s not confined to Europe. Across “much of the rest of the world – property has become a driving force of inequality. In turn, inequality is a driving force of resentment. Far-right politicians have tapped into this anger for their own political gain.” Although housing policies are set nationally, “the European Union can set frameworks and support access to finance…. There are solutions, and there is political will.”
Tags: Anger, Community, Costs, EU, Europe, Far right, Finance, Frameworks, Housing market, Inequality, Political gain, Prices, Property, Rents, Resentment, Solutions, Unaffordable
New York Times (June 18)
“China is unleashing a new export shock on the world.” Chinese goods, thwarted by Trump’s tariffs, are now “flooding countries from Southeast Asia to Europe to Latin America.” China does not seem to be following “the traditional trajectory of economies that move away from low-end manufacturing as they become more mature and developed.” Instead, it has doubled-down on manufacturing, which far exceeds domestic demand. As a result, the “countries that have borne the brunt of the jump in Chinese imports have also seen sharp declines in their own manufacturing, leading to job losses and bankruptcies.”
Tags: Bankruptcies, China, Chinese goods, Domestic demand, Doubled-down, Europe, Export shock, Flooding, Imports, Job losses, Latin America, Low-end manufacturing, Southeast Asia, Trajectory, Trump’s tariffs, Unleashing
South China Morning Post (June 3)
“Hong Kong companies favour markets closer to home and in Southeast Asia to grow their businesses because of higher tariffs and other trade barriers in the US and Europe, according to a survey by HSBC, with many expressing confidence about their expansion plans.” Following the disruption of Trump tariffs, the new pivot is being “supported by Hong Kong and Beijing’s efforts to forge stronger ties with markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East as US-China trade ties remain tense.”
Tags: Businesses, China, Companies, Confidence, Disruption, Europe, Expansion plans, Hong Kong, HSBC, Markets, Middle East, Pivot, Southeast Asia, Survey, Tariffs, Trade barriers, Trump, U.S.
Fortune (May 24)
“Predictions that the dollar’s dominance will come to an end soon have proliferated since President Donald Trump launched his trade war,” but it’s not so simple. “Assets in other top economies like China, Japan and Europe still aren’t as attractive as those in the U.S.” while potential rivals also “suffer from governance or political headwinds.” Until another currency surmounts these issues, “global investors are faced with the familiar reality that there is still no alternative to the greenback, which has been the currency of choice for international payments and reserves for decades.”
Tags: Alternative, Assets, Attractive, China, Dollar, Dominance, Europe, Governance, Greenback, Headwinds, International payments, Investors, Japan, Political, Predictions, Rivals, Top economies, Trade war, Trump, U.S.
Financial Times (May 9)
“China’s exports grew sharply in April despite Donald Trump’s ‘liberation’ day tariffs on shipments to the US, strengthening Beijing’s hand ahead of crucial trade negotiations due to start this weekend.” Chinese companies were able to divert “trade flows to south-east Asia, Europe and other destinations following the imposition of prohibitively high tit-for-tat tariffs between the world’s two largest economies.” Though year on year exports to the U.S. dropped by 21% in April, China’s overall global exports increased 8.1%.”
Tags: April, Beijing, China, Divert, Europe, Exports, Liberation day, Shipments, South-east Asia, Tariffs, Trade negotiations, Trump, U.S.
Reuters (March 3)
“Europe’s dark defence picture has a bright side. President Donald Trump’s hostility to erstwhile U.S. allies in Europe… has scrambled the continent’s security arrangements. Yet leaders who gathered in London on Sunday have a consolation of sorts: the pressure to rapidly rearm gives them cover to hike taxes.” They can now “legitimately tell their populations that everything has changed. There’s a solid long-term argument for Europeans to make a bigger contribution to their security. It’s a silver lining for an otherwise gloomy outlook.”
Tags: Allies, Consolation, Cover, Defense, Europe, Gloomy outlook, Hostility, Leaders, London, Pressure, Rearm, Scrambled, Security arrangements, Silver lining, Taxes, Trump, U.S.
The Economist (February 20)
“The past week has been the bleakest in Europe since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Ukraine is being sold out, Russia is being rehabilitated and, under Donald Trump, America can no longer be counted on to come to Europe’s aid in wartime. The implications for Europe’s security are grave, but they have yet to sink in to the continent’s leaders and people.”
Tags: Bleakest, Europe, Grave, Implications, Iron Curtain, Leaders, People, Rehabilitated, Russia, Security, Sold out, Trump, U.S., Ukraine, Wartime
Washington Post (November 18)
“Donald Trump’s return has delivered a jolt of shock therapy to Europeans already grappling with anemic economies, impotent leaders and rising populism. The urgent question is whether Trump 2.0 galvanizes Europe and impels reforms or hastens the continent’s decline.”
Tags: Anemic, Economies, Europe, Grappling, Impotent, Leaders, Populism, Reforms, Shock therapy, Trump 2.0, Urgent