January, 2017

• 28 January

  Fear of US trade sanctions grows among German managers

    Bloomberg A closely-watched survey of business confidence in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, dropped in January as managers worried about the uncertainty associated with the advent of Donald Trump’s presidency. The Ifo index released on Wednesday fell to 109.8 points in January from 111 points in December, as companies’ greater satisfaction with their current situation was offset by a drop …

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• 28 January

  Intel projects sales growth on data centers, PC demand

  

    Bloomberg Intel Corp, the biggest maker of semiconductors, predicted first-quarter sales that will meet analysts’ estimates on improvements in the personal computer market and continued growth in orders from data center owners. Revenue will be $14.8 billion, plus or minus $500 million, the Santa Clara, California-based company said Thursday in a statement. Analysts had projected $14.5 billion, the average …

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• 28 January

  The real truth about Washington

  

    “For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth.” — President Donald Trump, January 20. Washington is not a swamp. Since at least the days of Jimmy Carter, presidential politicians have run against Washington, …

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• 28 January

  Russia’s supercharged bond party keeps staggering on

  

    Russia was one of the best trades of 2016 by a country mile. A strengthening ruble supercharged foreign interest in domestic Russian government bonds, pushing yields down to around 8 percent from 12 percent in mid-2015. Contrary to appearances, there’s still some room to run. There’s a realistic chance that inflation will cool to the Russian central bank’s 4 …

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• 28 January

  America first’ doesn’t mean United Nations last

  

    Not surprisingly for a president whose slogan is “America First,” Donald Trump has expressed deep skepticism about the United Nations. Nevertheless, his appointment of a skilled and popular politician as the new US permanent representative stands to help make the UN a more effective forum for advancing US interests. It will be South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s job to …

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• 28 January

  Trump-May meet draws mixed reaction

    British Prime Minister Theresa May met US President Donald Trump on Friday to garner support as UK is poised to leave European Union. May fared well in meeting with Trump, who promised her what the former demanded. She returns with Trump’s promise to seek an early trade deal with Britain once it leaves the European Union, a commitment from …

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• 28 January

  Behavioural economics isn’t dead yet

  

    Just a few years ago, many were proclaiming the decline of behavioural economics. In 2009, the well-known game theorist David Levine delivered a lecture called “Is Behavioural Economics Doomed?,” in which he casts doubt on some prominent behavioural theories. In a few fields, such as finance, behavioural ideas have gone mainstream; in others, like game theory, interest is slowly …

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• 28 January

  EBay should drop some serious cash on deals

  

    Ebay Inc. has managed to right the ship. Now it’s time to get sailing.Shares in the e-commerce company rose 9 percent in after-hours trading as investors cheered a fourth-consecutive quarter of sales increases. Maintaining a full year of gains helped quiet concerns that without PayPal Holdings Inc., the subsidiary it split from in 2015, eBay would be left for …

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• 28 January

  After Brexit, the UK’s future is creative

  

    As UK Prime Minister Theresa May tries to show the world that Brexit won’t be a disaster, it’s useful to consider what the UK can actually offer the world once it’s deprived of its European Union crutches. Perhaps its eventual role is to be the world’s quirky creative hub: That core competence won’t go away with Brexit, and it …

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• 28 January

  China beefs up drive to ‘clean up’ internet sector

  

    BEIJING / AP China is beefing up a campaign to root out services that circumvent the government’s internet censorship with a 14-month-long “clean-up” of the internet industry. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a directive that it forbids the operation of virtual private networks (VPNs) or leased lines that allow users and businesses to access blocked …

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