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UN sees tougher US relationship without Haley as envoy

Bloomberg United Nations diplomats surprised by how they managed to cope with President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda are worried that things are only going to get tougher in 2019. It’s not State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert — Trump’s pick to replace departing Ambassador Nikki Haley — who’s raising concerns. It’s her boss, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, and National ...

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Good luck to the Fed

The nine-year economic recovery is dead. Long live the recovery. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) — the Federal Reserve’s main policymaking body — meets this week to decide whether or not to raise interest rates. No matter what it does, the decision is likely to be criticised. Since late 2015, the Fed has increased short-term interest rates eight times ...

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Italy’s 2% pledge is just cosmetic

Italy’s populist government has pledged to the European Commission that it will lower its deficit target to 2 percent of national income next year. For a cabinet that vowed to defy the ‘bureaucrats’ in Brussels, this is a stunning climb-down. But unless Rome is ready to row back on some of the key pledges included in its 2019 budget, it ...

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