Globalization has fallen out of fashion. Free trade breeds inequality, the critics say. International cooperation precludes national development. Closed economies are preferable to open ones. These statements could not be more misguided. The main reason I know this has to do not with job creation or productive employment or even global gross domestic product. It has to do with ...
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Donald Trump’s next 1,361 days
Donald Trump is not wrong: Judging a presidency on its first 100 days is an inherently ridiculous exercise. There is, however, a less ridiculous way to assess Trump’s first few months, and he does not fare well. It’s worth noting that when President Franklin Roosevelt first used the 100-day standard in a 1933 radio address, he was referring to ...
Read More »Minimum-wage warriors see certainty in ambiguity
Minimum-wage policy is a fraught issue. People involved in the public debate — writers, business leaders, politicians and think-tankers — often defend their positions with a passion and commitment reserved for religious disputes. That makes it challenging to bring data to bear on the conversation. Nevertheless, as the weight of evidence piles up, it’s getting harder and harder to ...
Read More »Twitter can’t wait to win back advertisers
Good news! Twitter’s business is not doing terribly by the low, low standards of Twitter. Well done. In the first quarter, Twitter Inc.’s revenue fell from the year-ago quarter for the first time. Twitter doesn’t turn a profit, and now its sales are shrinking, too. That is … not good. But Twitter executives had told investors to brace for ...
Read More »Why Apple can’t be able to stop digging holes!
Just before Earth Day, Apple Inc. announced a new goal: to make its computers and phones and watches without mining any new raw materials. Instead, Apple would one day build its products “using only renewable resources or recycled material.” This is what’s known as a “closed loop,” in which new products are made exclusively from older versions of the ...
Read More »Airbus wrestles with problem planes as profit halves in Q1
Bloomberg Airbus SE said three problem aircraft programs are set to remain a bugbear for the rest of the year after weighing on earnings in the first quarter. The planemaker is waiting on a fix for glitches afflicting engines on its new A320neo narrow-body jet, while production delays persist on the twin-aisle A350, Airbus said on Thursday. And talks ...
Read More »United to pay oversold fliers up to $10,000
Bloomberg United Continental Holdings Inc. will offer as much as $10,000 to passengers who voluntarily give up their seats on oversold flights, one of 10 changes the airline is adopting after a customer was dragged off a plane by security officers. The carrier will also reduce the overbooking of flights and refrain from calling in law enforcement officials unless ...
Read More »China seeks European regulatory nod for C919
Bloomberg China plans to get European regulatory approval for the C919, a move that would boost the appeal of the nation’s first domestically produced large jet to overseas buyers. The nation will seek to gain the European Aviation Safety Agency’s certification for the C919 as part of negotiations under a China-E.U. air-safety agreement, Li Jian, deputy administrator of the ...
Read More »American Air pilots, flight attendants to get pay hike
Bloomberg American Airlines Group Inc. reversed its opposition to mid-contract pay raises as Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker moved to soothe strained labor relations at the world’s largest carrier. Aviators will receive an increase of about 8 percent as soon as next month with flight attendants getting a 5 percent bump, the world’s largest carrier said in a message ...
Read More »Deutsche Bank’s return to growth delayed as trading trails
Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG’s muted gains in a particularly strong period for Wall Street trading is raising doubts about how quickly Chief Executive Officer John Cryan can recover ground lost to competitors. Europe’s largest investment bank on Thursday reported an 11 percent increase in revenue from trading bonds and currencies in the first quarter. That’s less than half the ...
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