August, 2019

• 17 August

  Green Republicans should support a carbon tax

  Rather unexpectedly, Republicans have become a minor font of ideas on fighting climate change. There’s been talk of clean-energy tax credits, a boost to carbon-capture technology, a renewed push for nuclear power, even a new “Roosevelt Conservation Caucus” dedicated to green issues. Above all, they say, the fight against climate change must take advantage of American innovation. That’s no doubt ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  Some UK companies are fine about no-deal Brexit

  

  Is your company immune to Brexit? With the looming threat of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal deal and a slim but rising risk of the pound plunging to parity with the dollar, more chief executives are telling investors they can handle any eventuality — however messy. Unfortunately, having a fully fleshed out Brexit contingency plan is a ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  Switzerland is being held captive by its big neighbour

  

  Switzerland is one of the richest places on the planet but it isn’t all sunshine and alpine flowers when you’re encircled by the world’s biggest trading bloc: the European Union. While the Swiss are pretty nimble in managing this unfortunate state of affairs, there are limits to what they can do. Take currency. The Swiss National Bank is facing the ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  The Federal Reserve needs a radical new approach

  

  In the past couple of months, the flaws in the Federal Reserve’s management of the economy have become hard to ignore. The central bank’s current way of doing things is increasingly self-defeating. To its credit, the Fed seems to realise this and is conducting a broad review of its goals and methods. It would be a pity if this process ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  Facebook paying to transcribe users’ audio chats

  

  Bloomberg Facebook Inc has been paying hundreds of outside contractors to transcribe clips of audio from users of its services, according to people with knowledge of the work. The work has rattled the contract employees, who are not told where the audio was recorded or how it was obtained — only to transcribe it, said the people, who requested anonymity ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  India’s HPCL plans pilot run for EV ‘battery swapping’

  

  Bloomberg Bracing for a future with less-polluting fuels, Indian oil refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) is planning a pilot programme for swapping batteries of electric two- and three-wheelers at its outlets by December, according to people familiar with the matter. The initiative is aimed at helping the company maintain its grip on a segment of the mobility market that’s rapidly ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  Nvidia sales, profit results top estimates

  Bloomberg Nvidia Corp’s second-quarter sales and profit topped analysts’ estimates, suggesting that a slump in orders may be easing amid a revival in demand for graphics chips. Revenue in the quarter that ended in July was $2.58 billion, and profit excluding certain costs was $1.24 a share, the Santa Clara, California-based company said. Analysts, on average, had estimated adjusted earnings ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  Apple seeks to shut down Corellium’s ‘perfect replicas’ of iOS

  

  Bloomberg Apple Inc accused upstart Corellium LLC of illegally selling virtual copies of the iPhone and iPad operating systems under the guise of helping discover security flaws. In a copyright-infringement lawsuit filed in West Palm Beach, Florida, Apple said the software company Corellium has copied the operating system, graphical user interface and other aspects of the devices without permission, and ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  PBOC to cut borrowing costs with revamped rate system

  

  Bloomberg China’s central bank said it’ll start releasing a new reference rate for bank loans, a further step in a long-awaited reform to interest rates that’s set to bring lower borrowing costs to the economy. The People’s Bank of China will announce the new loan prime rate, (LPR), at 9:30 am on the 20th of every month, starting this month, ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  Goldman slashes growth forecasts for ‘Asian Tigers’

  

  Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. slashed growth forecasts for the “Asian Tigers” as their exposure to the world economy — once one of their greatest strengths — is now backfiring as global growth slows amid trade tensions. “Besides their own domestic reforms, they all benefited enormously from the broader context of globalisation and the rapid economic development of the Asia-Pacific ...

  Read More »