The Times (June 18)
Donald Trump “promised to keep the US out of ‘dumb wars.’” This week he “ended one of America’s shortest wars with a deal that leaves an enemy regime in place in Iran, emboldened by its own survival, entrenched in defiance of the civilised world and even potentially enriched by the promise of boatloads of money to help rebuild its battered economy and war-making infrastructure.”
Tags: Battered economy, Civilised world, Deal, Defiance, Dumb wars, Emboldened, Enemy regime, Enriched, Entrenched, Iran, Money, Promised, Rebuild, Survival, Trump, U.S., War-making infrastructure
Wall Street Journal (June 14)
Even if the U.S./Iran deal holds, it will still “take months for the oil market to return to normal.” First the mines must be removed. Even then, insurers and oil shippers “are expected to remain cautious about traveling through the waterway. It would likely take even longer for the U.S. and other countries to replenish their depleted oil inventories, keeping prices elevated.”
Tags: Cautious, Deal, Depleted, Insurers, Iran, Mines, Normal, Oil inventories, Oil market, Oil shippers, Prices, Replenish, U.S., Waterway
Investment Week (April 26)
“The gold price – which is often seen as a measure of how anxious investors are feeling – has hit 25 record highs already this year, ranking 2025 third in terms of total of gold price spikes since 1968…. This means that in less than four months, investors have sought out ‘safety’ at a lightning-fast pace.” While some investors are cheered by the recent market respite, they should not pin “their investment case on the ‘hope’ that Trump reneges on his plans just because that seems like the sensible thing to do when we have been shown, repeatedly, that just because the market wants it, it does not mean it will be so.” Investors will likely “have to deal with four more years of paper-thin reliability when it comes to the US.”
Tags: Anxious, Deal, Gold, Investment, Investors, Lightning-fast, Market, Pace, Record highs, Reliability, Reneges, Safety, Sensible, Spikes
New York Times (July 11)
“A deal to ensure that data from Meta, Google and scores of other companies can continue flowing between the United States and the European Union was completed on Monday, after the digital transfer of personal information between the two jurisdictions had been thrown into doubt because of privacy concerns.” It may ultimately prove a temporary patch, but the E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework marks “the final step in a yearslong process,” resolving “a dispute about American intelligence agencies’ ability to gain access to data about European Union residents.” Guard rails will now allow some data collection, but the subjects will be able to object and challenge the collection.
Tags: Collection, Data, Deal, Digital transfer, Dispute, E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, Google, Guard rails, Intelligence agencies, Jurisdictions, Meta, Object, Personal information, Privacy
New York Times (July 30)
“Mr. Biden has managed to do what Mr. Trump repeatedly promised but never could pull off: move forward on a big-spending, bipartisan deal to rebuild American roads, bridges, water pipes and more.”
Tags: Biden, Big-spending, Bipartisan, Bridges, Deal, Pipes, Promised, Pull off, Rebuilding, Roads, Trump, U.S., Water
The Guardian (October 2)
“Is there still time for a Brexit trade deal?” Scheduled talks have ended with only 90 days left until the transition period ends. The chances of a deal are now “as finely balanced as the original Brexit vote itself: around 50/50. Big political choices are yet to be made – and the chances of the two sides arguing themselves out of time cannot be ruled out.”
News Week (October 4)
“Amid gathering economic gloom in the United States, some investors are betting the threat of impeachment will force President Donald Trump into cutting a deal with China to end a trade war between the world’s two largest economies.”
Tags: China, Deal, Economic gloom, Impeachment, Investors, Threat, Trade war, Trump, U.S.
Reuters (October 3)
“Boris Johnson has launched a long-shot Brexit plan with a very short timetable.” The new “blueprint for leaving the European Union has several major flaws…. Even if Brussels is willing to negotiate a deal in time for a summit due to be held in two weeks, it’s far from clear that the UK parliament would pass it.”
Tags: Blueprint, Brexit plan, Brussels, Deal, EU, Flaws, Johnson, Negotiate, Parliament, Summit, Timetable, UK
Reuters (August 8)
“Sterling’s recent slide is not yet over as the chances Britain and the European Union part ways without a withdrawal deal have jumped again after arch-Brexiteer Boris Johnson took over as prime minister last month.”
Guardian (May 4)
“Thursday’s results mean there’s only one way forward: ask the people…. Both Labour and the Tories saw votes that have previously been cast for them move elsewhere, above all to the parties that want us to stay in the EU. Parties that have advocated some form of deal that involves leaving the EU–the Tories and Labour–were punished across the country. They lost seats and they lost votes.”
