Thursday , 18 December 2025

Opinion

Financial risk may be China’s gift to next US president

  Back in 2008, incoming President Barack Obama inherited a U.S. financial crisis that was to some degree made in China. The next U.S. president may well confront a Chinese financial crunch with its origins in the U.S., as China unwinds the credit imbalances built up over the last eight years to defend against that global slump. China’s Debt Bomb …

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Question authority but trust science

  The results of a new Pew Research Center poll on politics and climate change surprised even some of those who study public attitudes toward science. Forty-five percent of respondents who identified as conservative Republicans said they had little or no trust in climate scientists, compared with 6 percent of self-described liberal Democrats. Only 15 percent of conservatives said they …

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India is on the verge of turning its good tax bad

  Mihir Sharma India’s tax system is among the most complex of the world — 157th, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, with about 33 different payments required. It’s a consistent barrier to entrepreneurship and to investment. That’s why so many people were eagerly anticipating the rollout of the Indian government’s first real attempt at systemic reform in recent years: a nationwide …

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What to watch for on USA’s election night

  Tuesday evening, after Election Day’s tranquillity, new clamours will erupt as analysts with agendas tickle portents and lessons from the torrent of election returns. Herewith some developments to watch. In the 17 elections since World War II, the winner has averaged 385.4 electoral votes, the loser 145.1. In six elections (1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984), a major-party candidate …

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Clinton must prepare now for her next war

If Hillary Clinton wins the presidential election on Tuesday, she will be under no illusions about what awaits. Even if Donald Trump is defeated, the political party that nurtured his dangerous ambition will not be. (And Trump may never concede defeat in any case.) Barack Obama was elected president in 2008 amid waves of euphoria. By the night of his …

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Tackling homelessness can help Medicaid save money

  In a growing number of states, Medicaid directors have come to believe they could save money by housing the homeless. The federal government is providing money to find out if they’re right. There’s good reason to think this is an experiment worth trying. The idea arose from two developments. First, Obamacare’s drastic expansion of eligibility for Medicaid coverage has …

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UAE’s carbon capture project commendable

  The UAE is stepping up use of innovative technologies to bring about reduction in its carbon footprint. On Saturday, it started a carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) project that will take out 800,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. The technology will not just capture CO2, but also enhance oil recovery and liberate gas. This facility is one …

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High Court doesn’t care if the people want Brexit

  Striking a blow against popular sovereignty by referendum, the U.K. High Court of Justice held on Thursday that Britain can’t leave the European Union without an act of Parliament. Because British constitutional thought is so different from its U.S. and European equivalents, the decision will be difficult for the U.K.’s Supreme Court to overturn. It’s now much more likely …

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Anonymous trolls are what’s crippling Twitter

I love Twitter. I use it every day. I’ve made a number of friends using the service, and often have interesting exchanges with an even larger number of colleagues and smart people. It has been essential to my career; it’s hard to imagine doing my job without Twitter or some similar tool for connecting with the public. But Twitter Inc. …

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This bull market has room to keep on running

  Barry Ritholtz Are we in a short-term cyclical bull market, one that is already long in the tooth and coming to an end? Or are we in the early years of a secular bull market, one that might last a decade or more? The answer could have a significant impact on how your portfolios perform during the next few …

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