Critics of globalization have named their enemies: those citizens of the world who, in British Prime Minister Theresa May’s scornful phrase, are really “citizens of nowhere.” Populist leaders are championing policies to combat such cosmopolitanism — restricting migration, rethinking regional trade deals, pressuring companies to create jobs at home. Yet while it contains some truths, the populists’ diagnosis is incomplete. ...

In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin asks his dad how engineers determine the weight limit on bridges. The dad answers that they do this by driving heavier and heavier trucks over the bridge until it breaks, then rebuild the bridge after discovering what it took to break it. This isn’t how engineers actually figure out the safety specifications ...

Bloomberg Investors schooled in the diplomatic ups and downs between Qatar and other Arab nations say there’s no reason for panic. The Gulf nation’s equities plummeted the most since 2009 as four Arab nations push to isolate Qatar for its ties to Iran. If history is any guide, the tensions won’t have a lasting impact on the country’s financial assets. ...

Bloomberg The speculative frenzy in bitcoin is spilling over into the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Remixpoint Co., Infoteria Corp. and Fisco Ltd., have all seen volatile swings in their share prices after announcing businesses related to digital currencies. Remixpoint, which has more than doubled since tying up with Peach Aviation Ltd. to let customers pay for tickets with bitcoin, fell as ...

Bloomberg Qatari banks, already stretched by financing demands of the $200 billion 2022 World Cup, took a head-on blow from its neighbours’ abrupt decision to cut economic and diplomatic ties. At risk are the foreign deposits-especially from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council-that have helped sustain institutions like Qatar National Bank QPSC, the region’s largest by assets, and Doha Bank QSC. ...

DOHA / Reuters The Qatari currency came under pressure on Tuesday as Gulf commercial banks began to hold off on dealing with Qatari banks because of the diplomatic rift in the region, banking sources said. Some Saudi Arabian, UAE and Bahraini banks were delaying business with Qatari banks, such as letters of credit, after their governments cut diplomatic ties and ...

COLOMBO / Reuters Some Sri Lankan banks stopped buying Qatar Riyal on Tuesday, saying their counterpart banks in Singapore advised them not to accept the currency a day after the Arab world’s biggest powers cut ties with Qatar. Dealers at four local private banks said they have stopped buying Qatar Riyal. “Our counter-party in Singapore has asked us not to ...

Bloomberg The Bank of Israel has a new message for the market: Don’t assume it will follow the US path on interest rates. Investors and economists long speculated that the Bank of Israel, anxious about a strengthening local currency, would keep rates on hold until the US Federal Reserve had raised its lending rate a few times. As the rate ...

Bloomberg Emilio Saracho’s plan to turn around Banco Popular Espanol SA has become a struggle for survival. Just four months after the former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker took charge, the troubled lender is exploring ways to bolster its cash and short-term funds and may request additional central bank loans, a person familiar with the matter has said. Expansion newspaper ...

Bloomberg Qatar’s state airline is set to become the biggest loser from the diplomatic breakdown in the Persian Gulf—with competitors in Dubai and Abu Dhabi also set to suffer. Some 76 daily flights are likely to be grounded, of which 52 are operated by Qatar Airways, after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE suspended ties with Qatar, according to ...