November, 2018

• 24 November

  Want to see your dystopian future? Look at China

  

  South Koreans are worried about the surveillance state. At a recent conference that was supposed to be about protests, journalists invariably asked me one question: How do we maintain democracy in an age when governments and companies are collecting ever more data on everything we do? They’re right to be concerned. If people don’t recognise the danger, they might eventually ...

  Read More »
• 24 November

  Here is a Thanksgiving wish: Let’s slow things down

  

  Here’s a simple four-word wish for Thanksgiving 2018 — a day when most of us take a break from the blurring, dizzying speed of our internet world: Let’s slow things down. I don’t just mean stopping to smell the roses, or taking a hike in the woods, or hiding our screens for a few hours. I mean, literally: Slow down ...

  Read More »
• 24 November

  Danske row: Shell firms forced into limelight

  

  Bloomberg A setup long acknowledged as dubious but tolerated in many countries just got thrown into the limelight. Shell companies — constructions often used to hide the identity of investors keen to dodge authorities — played a key role in Europe’s dirty money machine as billions of dollars flowed from Russia into the west. Danske Bank A/S was allegedly at ...

  Read More »
• 24 November

  Greece unveils salvage plan for its banks

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of Greece released details on how it proposes lifting much of the burden weighing on the country’s lenders under a complex plan involving securitisations and the shifting of tax credits. The plan foresees the transfer to a special purpose vehicle of a significant part of banks’ non-performing loans at net book value, along with a portion of ...

  Read More »
• 24 November

  Bank of Canada plans to buy mortgage bonds

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of Canada plans to buy for the first time government-backed mortgage bonds in a bid to broaden the range of high-quality assets in its operations to manage its balance sheet. The move, which is part of a decision of including government-guaranteed debt issued by federal Crown corporations, will allow Ottawa-based central bank to offset continued growth in ...

  Read More »
• 24 November

  South Africa raises rate first time since 2016

  Bloomberg The South African Reserve Bank increased its benchmark interest rate for the first time in more than two years as it sees inflation risks remaining elevated. The Monetary Policy Committee voted to raise the benchmark repurchase rate to 6.75 percent from 6.5 percent. Of the six panel members, half preferred the increase and the rest favored an unchanged stance, ...

  Read More »
• 24 November

  ECB officials warn of damage to Italy from fiscal fighting

  

  Bloomberg European Central Bank officials warned that uncertainty and tension over Italy’s expansive budget risk causing damage to the country’s economy in the long-run. “Italy’s current financing conditions are much too tight for a country with weak growth and low inflation,” ECB Chief Economist Peter Praet told Handelsblatt in an interview. Italian central bank Governor Ignazio Visco urged his government ...

  Read More »
• 21 November

  Dana Gas ramps up gas output in Kurdish field

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM Dana Gas, the Middle East’s leading publicly-listed regional natural gas company, and its partner Crescent Petroleum, have announced achievement of a 30% increase in production capacity at the Khor Mor field in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which the companies jointly operate on behalf of Pearl Petroleum. This increase delivers much-needed gas supply to fuel power ...

  Read More »
• 21 November

  Oil rebounds as US crude stockpiles drop

  

  Bloomberg Oil recovered from a one-year low as industry data showing a drop in US crude inventories allayed some of the concern that a new surplus is amassing in global markets. Futures in New York rose as much as 2.7 percent after plunging more than 6 percent. The American Petroleum Institute was said to report a 1.55 million-barrel drop in ...

  Read More »
• 21 November

  China is continuing IP theft: US

  

  Bloomberg The US accused China of continuing a state-backed campaign of intellectual property (IP) and technology theft as the World Trade Organization (WTO) said it would establish a dispute panel to rule on the complaint. The new accusations came in a detailed 53-page report released by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer’s office just 10 days before President Donald Trump is ...

  Read More »