November, 2017

• 19 November

  A raw deal from Betsy DeVos

  

  Under President Barack Obama, the government took steps to impose greater accountability on the industry and protect students from predatory schools. The policy is both just and cost-effective: For-profit schools saddle students with more debt and lead to higher default rates than traditional schools. In 2016, the department issued the gainful-employment rule, which requires any educational program receiving federal student ...

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• 19 November

  Asia’s cities could save the planet

  The world’s cities will add 2.5 billion more residents by 2050, more than half of them in Asia. The effect of this great migration on climate change will depend in part on what kind of homes, factories and office buildings they live and work in. It’s a seemingly minor but significant issue that should attract attention from officials gathered at ...

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• 19 November

  Sovereign wealth funds should sell off oil assets

  

  It’s easy to see the oil and gas asset sell-off proposed by Norges Bank Investment Management, the entity that runs Norway’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, as a bet on the hydrocarbon industry’s long-term decline. Indeed, Siv Jensen, Norway’s finance minister and the proposal’s addressee, predicted such a decline in a conference speech on Friday. But there’s a better reason ...

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• 19 November

  Global economy of future, with or without the US

  

  At a global economic conference last weekend, the US was everywhere and nowhere. In conversations at the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Councils, people wrestled with challenges to the global trading system, developing infrastructure for the 21st century, and restoring trust in experts and leadership. Donald Trump was never far off — his election being a kind of shorthand for ...

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• 19 November

  Tesla’s power plant on wheels won’t upend trucking

  

  Is Tesla Inc.’s Semi on the verge of doing to the trucking industry what the iPhone did to telecommunications? Probably not — but the decarbonization of road freight may still upend both the logistics business and the oil industry. To see why, have a look at the International Energy Agency’s estimates last week for future oil demand. Consumption by passenger ...

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• 19 November

  Geopolitics weigh on region, UK sukuk ruling hits Dana Gas

  

  Reuters Middle Eastern stock markets generally fell on Sunday, weighed down by geopolitics, while Dana Gas shares sank in Abu Dhabi because of a British High Court ruling on its Islamic bonds. In the last few weeks, geopolitics has become a significant factor for regional markets amid concern about instability in Lebanon and the possibility of strong Saudi action against ...

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• 19 November

  Firms with stable earnings witness gains

  

  Bloomberg Soapmaker and real-estate stocks have taken over a rally that used to be led by social networks and smartphone makers. Companies with stable earnings and dividends have shepherded gains in November, the first time this year that the two best-performing industries are defensive ones. So, while this looked like just another week in the bull market, it was actually ...

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• 19 November

  China aims to rein in risks from asset-management products

  

  Bloomberg China’s financial regulators proposed sweeping rules to curb risks in the country’s $15 trillion of asset-management products as leaders move to tighten supervision and break an implicit guarantee that’s driven investment into such vehicles. Financial institutions should offer yields based on the net asset value of the products they issue, to reflect the risks and return of the underlying ...

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• 19 November

  HSBC calls banker’s $2.4 million bonus suit waste of time

  

  Bloomberg A former HSBC Holdings Plc banker filed a lawsuit after being told he couldn’t have his bonus because he helped clients cheat on their taxes. The bank responded by counter-suing him for wasting its time. Rajesh Parmar is suing HSBC Private Bank UK for more than 1.8 million pounds ($2.4 million) in unpaid bonuses and damages, accusing it of ...

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• 19 November

  Chinese group nears deal to buy Lloyds Bank London HQ

  

  Bloomberg Lloyds Banking Group Plc is in exclusive talks to sell and lease back its City of London headquarters to a company linked to China’s Hengli Group, two people with knowledge of the deal said. The Chinese conglomerate offered about 150 million pounds ($198 million) for the 25 Gresham Street building, the people said, asking not to be identified because ...

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