Bloomberg (June 29)
“With just 10 days to go until President Donald Trump’s country-specific tariffs are set to resume, the White House appears poised to fall short of the sweeping global trade reforms it promised to achieve during the three months they were on hold.” It is unclear what will happen to the tariffs at the point. The President’s unpredictable approach may gain “concessions from trading partners,” but “the erratic effort has injected uncertainty into the financial markets, and created anxiety for domestic businesses. The lack of clarity around the deadline heightens the tension.”
Tags: 10 days, Anxiety, Approach, Businesses, Clarity, Concessions, Deadline, Erratic, Financial markets, Global trade, Promised, Reforms, Resume, Tariffs, Tension, Trading partners, Trump, Uncertainty, Unpredictable
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
Investment Week (September 6)
Japan was “historically seen as a ‘value trap’” where “the interests of minority shareholders were ‘subordinate to those of other stakeholders’” as summed up by one portfolio manager. But things have changed. “After a decade of reforms, ‘Abenomics’ and a push towards fairer corporate governance, investors have started to feel the Japanese market is turning a corner.”
Tags: Abenomics, Corporate governance, Interests, Investors, Japan, Market, Minority shareholders, Portfolio manager, Reforms, Stakeholders, Subordinate, Value trap
Business Insider (March 31)
Japan’s “stock market is ripping; the Nikkei recently exceeded the all-time highs it set 34 years ago. Analysts at Goldman Sachs are telling clients there’s still more upside to be had as corporate-governance reforms and a new era of sustainable inflation take hold. The Bank of Japan this month hiked interest rates above zero for the first time since 2007, a sign of confidence in the country’s recovery.”
Tags: Analysts, BOJ, Clients, Confidence, Corporate governance, Goldman Sachs, Highs, Inflation, Interest rates, Japan, Nikkei, Reforms, Ripping, Stock market, Upside
Nikkei (May 19)
“Japan’s economy” looks “on course for a major downturn,” based on a survey of about 1,300 economists. “Should China’s stimulus take hold, concerns about a worsening Japanese economy may be washed away. Yet Japan is constrained not only in its monetary policy, but also in its fiscal leeway considering the heavy government debt load,” not to mention the need for major employment and social security reforms.
Tags: China, Debt load, Downturn, Economists, Economy, Employment. Social security, Government, Japan, Monetary policy, Reforms, Stimulus
Ekathimerini (August 19)
“Greece’s formal exit from the bailout program does not mean that the country has reached the end of an era and is turning over a brand-new leaf.” During the next phase, Greece will require “even more determination and discipline to meet stringent targets and push through more reforms that will help it get back on its feet.”
Tags: Bailout, Determination, Discipline, Era, Exit, Greece, Reforms, Targets
CNN (June 21)
“If ever there were a country in need of modernization, Saudi Arabia is it.” The newly named Crown Prince “is deeply committed to carrying major reforms to fruition. He embodies dynamism, youthful boldness and a vision of possibility. But the far-ranging changes he is bringing to the conservative kingdom and to the region carry risk and no guarantee of success. In a region roiled with instability, they add another element of uncertainty.”
Tags: Boldness, Conservative, Crown Prince, Instability, Modernization, Reforms, Risk, Saudi Arabia, Success, Uncertainty, Youthful
Wall Street Journal (May 3)
“In a year filled with European elections, no one wants another debt crisis—even if this requires pretending that Greek politicians will implement pro-growth reforms they’ve repeatedly shunned.” To reach a tentative agreement, “Athens has agreed to make certain reforms in exchange for an approximately €7 billion disbursement from a 2015 bailout package so Greece can meet July debt repayments.” Once again, the can is kicked a little further down the road. “The one certainty is that Greece and its creditors will be back at the same stand a year from now.”
Tags: Bailout, Creditors, Debt crisis, Elections, Europe, Greece, Pretending, Reforms, Repayments
USA Today (July 7)
Recent shooting deaths of minorities by police, most recently in Minneapolis, have highlighted the need for significant reforms and better policing. “With a lack of national standards among our nation’s estimated 17,000 police agencies, individual officer and organizational competencies range from outstanding to notoriously bad. There is far too much variation and lack of agreement on what constitutes ‘good’ policing.”
Tags: Deaths, Minneapolis, Minorities, National standards, Officers, Police, Policing, Reforms, Shooting, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (April 21)
“For Europe to grow faster, the political class will eventually have to stop looking to the ECB as the growth engine of first and last resort.” On Thursday, Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, was unusually blunt in his criticism of other European politicians because they “have used the relief of low interest rates as an excuse not to do reforms.”
Tags: Blunt, Criticism, Draghi, ECB, Europe, Excuse, Growth engine, Interest rates, Politicians, Reforms
