June, 2017

• 4 June

  Democrats weigh debt ceiling debate to thwart GOP tax cuts

  

  Bloomberg Congressional Democrats might abandon their calls for raising the nation’s debt limit without any conditions, with House and Senate party leaders now discussing whether to use their leverage to try to prevent Republicans from enacting tax cuts for wealthy Americans. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi signaled the shift, telling reporters that “we’re not there to raise the debt ceiling ...

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• 4 June

  Brzezinski – an intrepid advocate of ‘liberal int’l order’

  

  When thinking about the abstract foreign policy framework known as the ‘liberal international order,’ it helps to personalize it by remembering the career of one of its strongest exponents, former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. Brzezinski, who died recently, devoted most of his career to explaining and enhancing this idea of a robust, supple, US-led architecture for global security and ...

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• 4 June

  Journalism is Mexico’s most dangerous profession

  

  In most countries, panic buttons are devices used by elderly folk who may need emergency care, or parents who want to keep tabs on wandering children and pets. But in Mexico, they’re part of the survival toolkit for journalists covering the drug war, corruption and other man-made miseries, enabling them to send a silent distress signal to authorities. Such is ...

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• 4 June

  Trump’s European misadventure

  President Donald Trump’s first appearances at the NATO and Group of Seven summits were a disservice to the US and the world. He betrayed no interest in maintaining America’s standing as the pre-eminent global leader, much less any aptitude for that task. The president is rattling the Western alliance in a way that can only delight its adversaries — Russia ...

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• 4 June

  Italy doesn’t need early elections

  Italy’s main political parties are edging closer to agreement on a new electoral law, which could pave the way for an early election in the autumn. In theory, this ought to be good news: Italy faces formidable economic challenges; a newly-elected government would have a fresh mandate to deal with them. In practice, however, a snap election is an unnecessary ...

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• 4 June

  Could China be on the verge of a recession?

  

  For the first time ever, China is facing a dreaded prospect: the inverted bond yield curve. The phenomenon, in which long-term interest rates sink below short-term interest rates, has caused some consternation among market-watchers, who know it’s traditionally a harbinger of recession. The inversion suggests markets expect interest rates to fall eventually as monetary authorities move to stimulate economic activity. ...

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• 4 June

  Store-killer Amazon shows physical retail still matters

  

  Amazon helped kill bookstore chains, and now it’s becoming one. The company has been opening physical bookstores in cities like Seattle, San Diego and Chicago since 2015. Last week, it opened its seventh bookstore in an upscale mall in New York City. In an ironic twist, Amazon’s store is one floor up from a former Borders store, the bookstore outlet ...

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• 4 June

  Bitcoin and stocks are both powered by psychology

  

  Bitcoin has been on an unbelievable run. The cryptocurrency is up around 124 percent for 2017. And that’s after it gained 125 percent in 2016. In May alone, it’s up more than 60 percent. It’s hard to know what the long-term impact or performance will be, but one thing’s for sure — investors are swept up in cryptocurrency mania. One ...

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• 4 June

  S&P 500 manages weekly gain for restless bulls

  

  Bloomberg The bulls are back in charge after a second weekly advance pushed the S&P 500 Index to a fresh record. But look a little more closely and the signs of unease in the stock market are hard to ignore. It’s visible in fund flows, where investors are rotating from US stocks to the rest of the world at the ...

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• 3 June

  Dubai external trade in 7 foods hits AED16.3bn

  

  DUBAI / WAM Dubai Customs’ statistics has revealed that the value of Dubai external trade in the seven primary Ramadan foodstuff in 2016 reached AED16.34 billion. Sugar topped the list at AED5.1 billion, followed by rice at AED4.8 billion, nuts at AED3.7 billion, bottled water at AED1 billion, juices at AED873.8 million, dates at AED813.75 million, and flour at AED57.37 ...

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