Americans like to celebrate the wealthy. The Chinese, Crazy Rich Asians aside, tend to be a lot less indulgent. That goes some way to explaining Jack Ma’s plans to retire as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s co-founder and the almost daily unwinding of China’s once high-flying (debt-fueled) private conglomerates, including HNA Group Co. and Dalian Wanda Group Co. Ma said Monday ...
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How American women help the goldilocks economy
America’s female workers deserve more appreciation: They’re playing a crucial role in helping the US economy grow without stoking unwanted inflation. By many measures, the US is at or near full employment, the point at which demand for workers should push up wages and prices. The unemployment rate is at an extremely low 3.9 percent, and the number of available ...
Read More »The rupee is falling and New Delhi should let it
The Indian rupee has been sliding against the US dollar in recent days as emerging markets come under pressure. That’s made the currency one of Asia’s worst performers, losing 12 percent this year. The rupee’s latest moves have sparked a debate in India. The Reserve Bank’s stated policy is to reduce volatility, rather than target a specific level for the ...
Read More »Brexit talks lifted by spirit of UK-EU compromise
The back-to-school air brought a reality check to the Brexit negotiations. The good news is that the ticking clock has forced all sides to take a hard look at the dangers of an abrupt split between the UK and the European Union (EU). Most have concluded that separating on unsettled terms would create chaos for businesses and consumers and leave ...
Read More »Elon Musk’s joke isn’t funny anymore
You might think a celebrity CEO smoking weed on a live show just after a class-action lawsuit was filed against his firm is the sort of thing a financial columnist dreams about. And you’d be right. But it also presents something of a conundrum: What can sensibly be written about Elon Musk at this point that doesn’t come off as ...
Read More »The promise and peril of South African land reform
Right-wing groups have been sounding the alarm about proposed land reforms in South Africa, where the ruling African National Congress party is preparing to amend the country’s constitution to make it easier for the government to redistribute farmland without compensation. On August 22, President Donald Trump caused a stir with a tweet on the subject: The tweet, possibly intended to ...
Read More »Boeing’s China outlook faces Trump’s trade war headwind
Bloomberg Boeing Co. painted an optimistic forecast for China, an aviation market soon poised to become the world’s biggest. The planemaker also needs to overcome a tit-for-tat trade war that President Donald Trump is ratcheting up. The country will need 7,690 new planes worth $1.2 trillion over the next two decades, the Chicago-based planemaker said in Beijing. That’s a 6 ...
Read More »Leonardo talks to buyers for Iran ATRs
Bloomberg Italy’s aerospace giant Leonardo SpA says ATR, which it co-owns with France’s Airbus SE, is in talks with alternative buyers for the remaining aircraft in a $1.6 billion deal with Iran, which it can no longer deliver due to sanctions. “We are pretty confident that we will finalise the re-allocation to other countries†by the end of this year, ...
Read More »Amazon business sales hit $10 billion annualised rate
Bloomberg Amazon.com said sales from its business-to-business platform hit an annualised rate of $10 billion globally as it adapted its online retail operations for consumers into an international enterprise serving offices, hospitals and factories. The Seattle-based internet giant launched Amazon Business in the US in 2015 and reached $1 billion in sales a year later. It now operates in eight ...
Read More »Ryanair faces German strike despite making labour advances
Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc pilots and flight attendants in Germany will walk out on Wednesday, meaning many of its services in and out of the country may not operate. The latest strike will follow the scrapping by Europe’s biggest discount carrier of more than 400 flights on August 10 amid walkouts in five nations including Germany, though since then it ...
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