TOKYO / AP Toyota Motor Corp. said on Monday that its profit fell 23 percent in the October-December quarter from a year earlier as its sales fell and a stronger yen squeezed its overseas earnings. The company, which recently relinquished the crown of world’s biggest automaker to German rival Volkswagen, reported its fiscal third quarter profit was 486.5 billion ...
Read More »Admin
Where Justice Antonin Scalia was wrong…
With an asperity born of exasperation, Justice Antonin Scalia once wrote, “If you want aspirations, you can read the Declaration of Independence,†but “there is no such philosophizing in our Constitution,†which is “a practical and pragmatic charter of government.†Scalia was wrong, and much depends on Neil Gorsuch not resembling Scalia in this regard. Gorsuch can endorse Scalia’s ...
Read More »Singapore is wrestling with corporate life support
The going-concern issue is becoming a problem in Singapore. Ezra Holdings Ltd., an oil-services company, was the latest to indicate it faces debt hurdles that require a restructuring. Under Singapore law, as in the US, that could mean a stay on interest payments until creditors and shareholders agree on a balance sheet that allows the company to keep operating ...
Read More »How to defeat Le Pen
Marine Le Pen could be France’s next president. Sure, her lead in some polls exaggerates her strength before the field narrows to two candidates — but voters’ discontent with normal politics isn’t subsiding. Failing to take the anti-immigrant, populist insurgent seriously would be a huge mistake. For France’s sake, and Europe’s, Le Pen must be defeated. Her party’s blend ...
Read More »Overturning ‘travel ban ruling’ will deepen confusion
Trump administration is pulling out all the stops in its efforts to get the US President’s ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim countries and on all refugees reinstated. On Sunday, a federal appeals court denied the Justice Department’s request for an immediate reinstatement of Trump’s ban. The detention of dozens and the return of others to their departure points ...
Read More »Don’t discount a center-left comeback in Europe
The right-wing, nationalist resurgence in Europe is now a cliche. It is, however, not inconceivable that a successful backlash is developing in some countries before the nationalists had a chance to take over. It’s too early to draw any conclusions, but in the European Union’s two biggest economies — Germany and France (the UK should no longer count) — ...
Read More »BoE is right to ignore inflation
The UK economy is in a holding pattern after the June referendum decision to quit the European Union. Growth hasn’t collapsed, consumers are still spending, and the Bank of England (BoE) kept its monetary policy unchanged on Thursday. And while Governor Mark Carney says future moves could be in ‘either direction,’ it’s pretty clear that inflation would have to ...
Read More »Pay attention to ‘invisible infrastructure’
In his early days in office, true to his campaign promises, President Donald Trump is promoting a $1 trillion plan to upgrade the nation’s aging physical infrastructure. To maximize job creation, investment and benefits to all Americans, he should also focus on our “invisible infrastructure†— the unseen airwaves that enable wireless connections. Mobile communication has been a powerful ...
Read More »National Bank sets 5-year goal for ‘top 3’ slot in Canadian market
Bloomberg National Bank of Canada has set a goal of being a ‘Top 3’ Canadian investment bank within five years, setting up a showdown with bigger rivals as the Montreal-based lender seeks to win more business from the nation’s largest companies. “We think we can compete,†Yanick Blanchard, head of corporate and investment banking at National Bank Financial, said ...
Read More »ABN Amro to slash 60% of senior management as bank shrinks
Bloomberg ABN Amro NV plans cut 60 of its 100 senior management jobs and reduce the number of top executives by more than half in a revamp that reflects the bank’s shrinking size. A new management board will include the heads of retail, commercial, corporate and institutional, and private banking, the Amsterdam-based lender said in a statement on Monday. ...
Read More »