Fortune (August 2)
“Recent college graduates face one of the toughest job markets in years.” Some have attributed this to AI and automation, but others like Berkeley economist Brad DeLong believe “larger forces are at work.” He believes “the challenges confronting young job-seekers today are primarily driven by widespread policy uncertainty and a sluggish economy.” Basically, these unlucky “new entrants to the job market are bearing the brunt of the retreat to risk aversion.”
Tags: AI, Automation, Berkeley, Challenges, College graduates, DeLong, Economist, Job markets, Job seekers, Policy uncertainty, Sluggish economy, Toughest
New York Times (June 12)
“America’s closest allies are increasingly turning to each other to advance their interests, deepening their ties as the Trump administration challenges them with tariffs and other measures that are upending trade, diplomacy and defense.” Much of the proactive push involves Britain, France, Canada, Japan and other middle powers. Their efforts “to come closer together as the United States recalibrates its global role… will be on display over the next few days as the Group of 7 industrialized nations’ leaders meet in Alberta, Canada.”
Tags: Advance, Alberta, Allies, America, Britain, Canada, Challenges, Defense, Diplomacy, France, G7, Japan, Middle powers, Recalibrates, Tariffs, Ties, Trade, Trump, U.S., Upending
Le Mode (February 2)
“The first measures of the European AI Act will come into effect on Sunday, February 2.” The first stage “only concerns certain prohibited uses.” More specifically, “this Sunday will see a ban on certain uses of AI deemed unacceptable by the AI Act.” Expanded “implementation of the text, which is the most ambitious in the world at this stage, will be gradual and is still the subject of debate, if not outright challenges.”
Tags: Ambitious, Ban, Challenges, Debate, European AI Act, Gradual, Implementation, Prohibited, Sunday, Unacceptable
Washington Post (September 19)
Europe faces many challenges, but the largest is structural. “The E.U. is still not really one big thing, but a collection of smaller ones. This makes it difficult for companies to scale” or for the EU to pursue a coherent strategy. “Mr. Draghi’s report has many good ideas — to unify budgets, markets and strategies; to streamline rules to encourage innovation. At its core, the message is one that Europeans have heard before: For Europe to thrive, it must act as Europe.”
Tags: Budgets, Challenges, Companies, Draghi, E.U., Europe, Markets, Rules, Scale, Strategies, Strategy, Streamline, Structural, Unify
Fortune (March 23)
“Foreign businesses’ direct investment into China last year increased by the lowest amount since the early 1990s, underscoring Beijing’s challenges to spur its economy. It also has to contend with a steadily accelerating outflow of manufacturing as Apple and other American brands begin to position new capacity in countries from India to Southeast Asia to mitigate risks from US-China tensions.”
Tags: 1990s, Accelerating, Apple, Beijing, Brands, Capacity, Challenges, China, Economy, FDI, India, Investment, Manufacturing, Mitigate, Outflow, Risks, U.S.
South China Morning Post (January 29)
At Davos, Chinese Premier Li Qiang provided WEF delegates with an “early and unexpected disclosure… China’s gross domestic product (GDP) had grown by 5.2 per cent in 2023.” This didn’t come across as powerfully convincing evidence that China’s economy is again healthy. Worries remain about China and its economy. “Challenges related to national security, data flows and market barriers still dominate hearts and minds in decision-making.”
Tags: 2023, 5.2%, Challenges, China, Data flows, Davos, Disclosure, Dominate, Economy, GDP, Li Qiang, Market barriers, National security, Premier, WEF, Worries
Washington Post (November 29)
“Henry A. Kissinger, who died on Wednesday at 100, was one of the most consequential statesmen in U.S. history. Though his greatest triumphs occurred a half-century ago, his legacy is complex and contested and contains lessons that should inform Americans facing complicated foreign policy challenges now.”
Tags: 100, Challenges, Complex, Complicated, Consequential, Contested, Died, Foreign policy, History, Kissinger, Legacy, Lessons, Statesmen, Triumphs, U.S.
Institutional Investor (November 7)
Vanguard’s departure from China, after selling its 49% stake in its joint venture to Ant in October, was such big news because it “illustrates the challenges facing foreign asset managers in China, where the opportunities are plentiful, but so are the obstacles.” Other struggling foreign asset managers may choose to utilize the cover of Vanguard’s departure to reduce their own presence in China.
Tags: Ant, Challenges, China, Departure, Foreign asset managers, Joint venture, Obstacles, Opportunities, Presence, Struggling, Vanguard
Irish Times (September 10)
Some are hoping government stimulus will jumpstart the Chinese economy. “The more likely scenario is continued weak growth.” What remains to be seen is “is how quickly the government will shift away from stimulus measures to a faster fundamental overhaul of its growth strategy.” China needs to tackle “more persistent and structural growth challenges,” which have resulted from “an economic strategy that has historically over-relied on real estate, high local debt, inefficient state-owned enterprises, lower-end manufacturing, and domestic consumer internet platforms.”
Tags: Challenges, China, Economy, Government, Growth strategy, Inefficient, Jumpstart, Manufacturing, Overhaul, Persistent, Real estate, State-owned enterprises, Stimulus, Structural, Weak
Reuters (July 6)
Canary Wharf has been no stranger to challenges and now faces a new blow. “HSBC is quitting the financial hub and moving to smaller quarters…. Hybrid working is an existential threat for commercial property.” Canary Wharf’s “pivot to residential and retail may only be a partial salve.”
Tags: Canary Wharf, Challenges, Commercial property, Financial hub, HSBC, Hybrid working, Pivot, Residential, Retail
