October, 2017

• 1 October

  Embracing populism means ignoring common good

  

  One of the unfortunate aspects of Trumpian populism is the effect it is having on our discussion of economic policy, and thereby on our understanding of the underlying goals that policies are meant to advance. This is perhaps most stark in discussions of international trade. The right used to discuss trade as a way to enrich the nation and raise ...

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• 1 October

  Longer tweets are a win for democracy (really)

  On Tuesday, Twitter announced that a select group of users would be able to send 280-character tweets—double the platform’s signature 140-character limit. It’s part of an experiment testing whether longer character limits would be better for everyone. The company explained that, in languages where a single character carries more meaning—Chinese, Japanese and Korean—they see “more people tweeting—which is awesome!” If ...

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• 1 October

  Trump’s trade-bashing is bad for US consumers

  Until now, the defining feature of the Trump administration’s trade policy has been a worrisome yet vague recklessness. The US Commerce Department’s new ruling on Boeing’s dispute with Bombardier, a Canadian aircraft maker, shows the harm that comes when the administration gets specific. The rules that regulate trade can’t work without restraint and a commitment to a liberal economic order. ...

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• 1 October

  Facebook ads aren’t a threat to democracy

  

  Political pressure is gradually forcing Facebook executives to take responsibility for the content that appears on the social network, at this point mainly for the advertising. So far, they are doing a good job of avoiding the real subject. On Wednesday, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg addressed the recent discovery that ads on Facebook could be targeted at “Jew haters”—or, ...

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• 1 October

  Inflation slowdown is no mystery to bond market

  

  The Federal Reserve and other central banks have been on a quest since 2012 to get inflation back up to levels they deem appropriate for a stable, growing economy. There have been many setbacks along the way, leaving central bankers stumped, with Fed Chair Janet Yellen saying the slowdown in inflation has been a “mystery.” But their crusade may now ...

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• 1 October

  Short-term thinking poses long-term drag on growth

  

  Eric Ries, an entrepreneur and the author of “The Lean Startup” and other business books, has started a company to create a new stock exchange. The Long-Term Stock Exchange will lock up investors’ money for a long time, forcing them to think beyond next quarter’s earnings. Obviously this lack of liquidity will cause stock sold on the new exchange to ...

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• 1 October

  FTSE decisions hurt Saudi, boost Kuwait blue chips

  

  Reuters The Saudi stock index fell on Sunday after news that index compiler FTSE had decided to delay including Riyadh in its secondary emerging market index, while Kuwaiti blue chips were strong after FTSE included Kuwait. In its annual country classification review, FTSE praised Riyadh’s market reforms but said it would need more time to evaluate their practical impact. It ...

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• 1 October

  S Korea’s exports surge on steel, semiconductors

  

  Bloomberg South Korean exports surged to a record last month in the latest sign that stronger global trade is helping to underpin growing momentum for the global economy. The nation’s shipments abroad rose for an 11th month in September, driven by overseas demand for steel, semiconductors and petrochemical products. Exports jumped 35 percent from a year earlier, the trade ministry ...

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• 1 October

  PBOC unveils targeted lending plan to aid economic growth

  

  Bloomberg China’s central bank said it will reduce the amount of cash lenders must hold as reserves from next year, with the size of the cut linked to the flow of funding to parts of the economy where credit is scarce. The targeted measures apply to all major banks, 90 percent of city commercial banks, and 95 percent of rural ...

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• 1 October

  Citigroup up against Apple, Google in hunt for tech experts

  

  Bloomberg Citigroup Inc. is hiring another 50 engineers in Israel, where fierce competition from technology giants is frustrating efforts to expand a workforce that already employs more programmers than bankers. The bank is recruiting developers in fields such as big data, artificial intelligence and interface design for its tech lab, a division set up in 2011 to service the global ...

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