Everyone is still trying to sort out the implications of Facebook Inc.’s news feed reboot announced last week. One thing I’m wondering about: Why hasn’t Facebook taken the hatchet to the “like†button? Mark Zuckerberg says he wants more “meaningful social interactions†on Facebook. He doesn’t want people to spend so much time scrolling around aimlessly on Facebook or otherwise ...
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Don’t freak out about UK’s vanishing banking jobs
It’s ‘seismic.’ At first glance, last month’s 52 percent decline in the number of job openings in London’s financial industry looks dramatic. In Brexit there’s an easy bogeyman to blame. But the picture isn’t so clear. Take the survey that recruiting firm Morgan McKinley, from which that figure comes. You need to adjust it for seasonality: December is never a ...
Read More »Weaker dollar won’t derail global growth
The depreciation of the dollar was one of the market surprises of 2017, defying the predictions of many analysts and economists at the start of that year. Continued weakness in 2018 has led some, including European officials, to warn about possible detrimental effects on growth. They are highlighting what may be thought of as the foreign exchange markets’ “hot potato” ...
Read More »Dear Bitcoin fans, digital currency is still a dream
Bitcoin breaks my heart. Not because I missed the great run-up (though I did) and not because I fear that the bitcoin bubble will end badly (it will, but that’s not my problem). Rather, it is because I have been waiting for decades for someone to invent a purely digital currency, a currency for online purchases that wasn’t linked to ...
Read More »Japan, Europe start the central bank reset
This is going to be an exciting year for monetary policy. In fact, it already is, thanks to Europe and Japan. Investors were taken aback last week when the Bank of Japan bought fewer bonds and the European Central Bank revealed — shock, horror — its language would have to evolve with the euro region’s economy. Both developments, and the ...
Read More »Apple needs to admit it still has a labour problem
For all the talk of cleaning up its supply chain, too many stories keep popping up about poor working conditions and excessive overtime. Every year at around this time, Apple makes a song and dance about how much it cares for workers and the environment. Fans point out that Cupertino is doing far more than most others in the industry, ...
Read More »ECB seen closer to signalling QE end as hawks gain sway
Bloomberg Economists brought forward their estimate of when the European Central Bank will set an end-date for its bond-buying program, amid signs that more optimistic views on inflation might be gaining sway among policy makers. While no action is expected at the Governing Council meeting on January 25, almost half of respondents in a Bloomberg survey predicted the ECB will ...
Read More »Indian bank shares surge on FDI plans
Bloomberg Indian bank shares surged the most since November on a report the government is considering allowing foreign investors to own larger stakes in the country’s lenders. The Bankex Index, a gauge for 10 lenders, rose 2 percent to a new record high as of 9:30 a.m. in Mumbai. Gains were led by privately owned Yes Bank Ltd., which is ...
Read More »Bank of Canada raises rates but cautions stimulus still needed
Bloomberg The Bank of Canada indicated it’s in no rush to pursue aggressive interest rate hikes, citing “important unknowns†such as the future of Nafta as it raised borrowing costs for the third time since July. At a rate decision, central bank officials led by Governor Stephen Poloz sought to quell expectations Canada’s economic boom could prompt them to move ...
Read More »Barclays cuts 100 senior staff in investment bank overhaul
Bloomberg Barclays Plc is eliminating as many as 100 senior staff at its investment bank as the unit’s chief, Tim Throsby, overhauls the underperforming division, according to people familiar with the decision. The cutbacks will fall mainly at the managing director and director levels and are evenly split between Europe and the US, said the people, who asked not to ...
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