January, 2019

• 22 January

  Mutiny attempt tests Maduro’s grip on power

  

  Bloomberg It was still dark, but Venezuela’s army had already smothered a mutiny and turned to tear-gassing protesters supporting the rebels. The loyalist Supreme Court announced that it would depose the National Assembly’s head and nullify its motion declaring President Nicolas Maduro’s rule invalid. Then, Brazil’s president predicted a speedy regime change. Governing this hungry and restive nation has become ...

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• 22 January

  Global warming forever?

  

  On global climate change, I’ve changed my mind — just slightly. I’ve written about this issue for more than two decades, and my theme has been monotonously consistent. As a starting point, I’ve accepted the prevailing scientific view that man-made greenhouse gases contribute to global warming. But I’ve been routinely pessimistic and skeptical that we can do much about it. ...

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• 22 January

  Tsipras has a shot at greatness

  

  Greece’s prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, survived a confidence vote in parliament and seems likely to obtain legislative approval for his highly controversial deal with neighboring Macedonia. Now he can contemplate his legacy, as he serves out what are likely to be his last months in office. The vote’s outcome was no surprise. Tsipras likely was certain of victory before the ...

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• 22 January

  Primark needs New Year resolution from investors

  

  New year, new you. And Associated British Foods Plc’s Primark is fully behind the January fitness fad. Strange, then, that investors are staying home on the sofa. Leggings, lightweight jackets and the like are on offer in colors and designs that wouldn’t look out of place in upmarket athleisure specialist Sweaty Betty. But Primark’s leggings are cheaper by a long ...

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• 22 January

  Trump shouldn’t waste another N Korea summit

  US President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un have agreed to meet for a second summit at the end of next month. Agreeing to this was probably a mistake — but to have any hope of producing results, Trump will have to prepare much more carefully than he did last time. There’s been virtually no progress in ...

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• 22 January

  Tariffs are killing American steel sector with kindness

  

  One year in, how’s President Donald Trump’s mission to save the US steel and aluminum sectors going? Judging by the stock prices of metal producers, you could be mistaken for thinking he’s trying to destroy the industry instead. The aggregate market capitalisation of the seven major US primary steel and aluminum producers — Nucor Corp., US Steel Corp., AK Steel ...

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• 22 January

  Macron can’t afford to stick by Ghosn

  

  France has done the right thing by paving the way for Carlos Ghosn’s succession at the top of automaker Renault SA. Whatever the merits of the legal case against the CEO in Japan, he remains in custody, has been denied bail, and his trial could be at least six months away. This is not an executive who’s able to properly ...

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• 22 January

  Hey Amazon, British retailers are pretty cheap

  

  Hello, Amazon? Are you there? If ever there was a moment for an international retailing behemoth to pick up a British store chain, this is it. While Christmas trading didn’t turn out to be the bloodbath that many — including myself — had feared, valuations remain in the doldrums. The FTSE 350 General Retailers Index has bounced since the end ...

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• 22 January

  Stocks fall with US futures over cloudy outlook for trade

  

  Bloomberg Stocks dropped on Tuesday alongside US futures as a cloudy outlook for trade and growth continued to weigh on risk appetite. Treasuries climbed and the yen strengthened. Futures on the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq all pointed to a softer open a day after American markets were shut for a holiday. EBay Inc bucked the trend, surging in early ...

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• 22 January

  Pound strengthens on upbeat wage data

  

  Bloomberg The pound gained for a second day as upbeat UK employment data buoyed investor sentiment that was already underpinned by optimism the nation will avoid a no-deal Brexit. Sterling rose above $1.29 as official data showed wage growth in Britain was the fastest since the financial crisis during the three months through November, while the unemployment rate declined to ...

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