January, 2018

• 24 January

  Technology is losing its war on journalism

  

  It seems like only yesterday that journalism faced existential challenges from technology platforms that helped anyone publish whatever they wanted, took over the distribution of news, and usurped the advertising market with promises of precise targeting. It turns out that the news profession can be quite successful at repelling those challenges. The enemy is in retreat; the news business just ...

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• 24 January

  The shutdown solved nothing

  

  OK, the shutdown is over. But no one should be fooled into thinking that this settles the big questions facing the country. Even if (a big ‘if’) the immigration laws are overhauled and the nearly 700,000 ‘Dreamers’ stay in the United States, at least three large issues remain that neither party has yet had the courage to confront. Here they ...

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• 24 January

  World’s largest pension fund needs more risky business

  

  It’s time the world’s largest pension fund boosted its risk appetite again. Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) has been fleeing local government bonds ever since it doubled its allocation targets for domestic and overseas stocks in late 2014. It’s likely to have already exceeded that quota due to the global equities bull run. As of September 30, the latest data ...

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• 24 January

  Meet the new leaders on the global trade

  In the space of a few hours on Tuesday, what had been increasingly obvious became all but official: The US is no longer leading the world economy. The US withdrawal is signaled by the Trump administration’s announcement of new tariffs on solar panels and washing machines. Dispiriting as this choice may be — not to mention bad for US workers ...

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• 24 January

  A universal basic income for everyone is not a crazy idea

  

  If there’s one policy that can unite socialists and Silicon Valley libertarians, it’s universal basic income (UBI) — a regular payment from the government to each and every adult, regardless of income. Many socialists like the unconditional nature of the programme — like Social Security, it has the potential to avoid arousing the anger of higher-earning people who feel they’re ...

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• 24 January

  Growth of Netflix is all in the eye of the beholder

  

  Netflix Inc. is the Uber of the entertainment programming business. Whether Netflix investors recoil or cheer at the comparison depends on their risk tolerance. Netflix doesn’t share Uber’s inclination to push boundaries, and it has a well-functioning business. But both companies are impressive growth machines that rely on outside funding to maintain the momentum. And in both cases, it’s not ...

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• 24 January

  Germany’s economy needs more investment

  

  Few countries attract as much disdain from economists as Germany. Berlin is accused of running an excessively prudent budget and German companies of paying their workers too little: This stinginess — so the accusation goes — has contributed to global instability by making it harder for Germany’s euro-zone partners to climb their way out of the crisis. The criticisms, which ...

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• 24 January

  Euro seeks Draghi’s attention at first ECB meeting of 2018

  

  Bloomberg There’s one question European Central Bank President Mario Draghi won’t be able to ignore at his first policy meeting of the year: whether the euro is too strong for the currency bloc’s health. In the six weeks since the previous decision, the single currency for 19 European nations has surged to the highest level against the dollar in more ...

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• 24 January

  UBS chief: Regulation would bring ‘massive’ drop in Bitcoin value

  

  Bloomberg UBS Group AG Chairman Axel Weber said the Swiss bank won’t trade Bitcoin or offer it to retail clients as increased regulation could lead to a “massive” drop in value. “This is something where the price is really unclear,” Weber said in an interview on Wednesday with Bloomberg TV at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “We fear ...

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• 24 January

  India to inject $14bn of capital into state banks

  

  Bloomberg State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank will be among lenders that receive 881 billion rupees ($14 billion) of fresh capital the government had pledged for state-run banks in the year through March 31. SBI, the nation’s biggest lender by assets, will get 88 billion rupees while Punjab National Bank will take 55 billion rupees, Rajiv Kumar, banking ...

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