October, 2016

• 12 October

  Trump is the symptom of world’s coarsening climate

  

    Watching Donald Trump skulking behind Hillary Clinton on the debate stage Sunday night, muttering about locking her up if he wins, was a reminder that we are drifting toward a kind of bullyboy-world, where power is everything. You see this coarsening climate of relations around the globe, in the debasement of the norms that make civilized life possible. Dictators …

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• 12 October

  Why biologists don’t put too much stock in race

    Race is perhaps the worst idea ever to come out of science. Scientists were responsible for officially dividing human beings into Europeans, Africans, Asians and Native Americans and promoting these groups as sub-species or separate species altogether. That happened back in the 18th century, but the division lends the feel of scientific legitimacy to the prejudice that haunts the …

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• 12 October

  Britain doesn’t need a new kind of conservatism

    You’d think managing Britain’s exit from the European Union would be enough to keep Theresa May busy. But it seems the U.K.’s prime minister wants to design a whole new kind of conservatism as well — one that works not just for Britain’s frequent-flyer elite but also, as she puts it, for “the whole nation.” Whether her ideas are …

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• 12 October

  Collaboration key to fight financial cyber assaults

    In 2014, JP Morgan — the biggest US bank by assets — was targeted by cyber criminals. Even though no cash could be siphoned off, the attack left names, addresses and crucial information of its 76 million customers exposed. Alarmed over the incident, the bank is now pumping $600 million into cybersecurity. Similarly, Deutsche Bank has announced that it …

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• 12 October

  Deutsche Bank’s travails show up in money markets

  

    Deutsche Bank is in trouble. It’s embroiled in talks with the U.S. Justice Department to negotiate down a $14 billion fine for mortgage-market naughtiness. Its share price has halved in the past year. It was granted special treatment in July’s stress tests, according to the Financial Times. And in the European money market, its funding costs are almost twice …

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• 12 October

  Twitter is essential and moderately lucrative

  

    On the Saturday after the Friday when Donald Trump’s icky, sexual-assaulty chat with Billy Bush was revealed to the world, venture capitalist Fred Wilson had this to say: Fred Wilson @fredwilson Last night was Twitter at its finest. Anyone who says it is past its prime, irrelevant, and failing is out of their mind. Twitter: Fred Wilson on Twitter …

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• 12 October

  Don’t be sure big tech breakthroughs are behind us

  

    Vox tech writer Timothy B. Lee used to be one of the most ardent techno-optimists. But he’s had a bit of a conversion, of late, and is now on the side of those who think tech progress is slowing. Maybe it was the economist Robert Gordon who convinced him, or maybe years of observing the tech world changed his …

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• 12 October

  Asia markets hit by US rate fear; Samsung dips further

  

    Hong Kong / AFP Asian markets retreated on Wednesday on fears about an expected US interest rate rise this year, while the pound recovered after suffering a series of losses fuelled by worries over Britain’s EU exit. Samsung Electronics suffered another bout of selling in the morning after announcing on Tuesday it would scrap the troubled flagship Galaxy Note …

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• 12 October

  Gulf consolidates; Saudi banks rise

  Dubai / Reuters Gulf stock markets consolidated in quiet trade early on Wednesday but Saudi banks rose after a major lender posted earnings in line with estimates. The Saudi stock index gained 0.4 percent in the first 75 minutes of trade as the banking sector index rose 0.7 percent. Banque Saudi Fransi, the second major Saudi lender to report third-quarter …

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• 12 October

  Emerging markets extend losses

    Bloomberg Emerging-market stocks and currencies fell toward a three-week low as surging domestic risks from Thailand to South Africa worsened sentiment impaired by a fractious U.S. election campaign and bets for December policy tightening by the Federal Reserve. Thai equities and baht led losses amid concern for the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The rand headed for a one-month …

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