June, 2017

• 3 June

  ‘GM would boost demand for stock with more flavors’

  

  Bloomberg Forget car salesmen. General Motors Co. should think a little more like ice cream vendors, according to billionaire hedge fund manager David Einhorn. Einhorn has been waging a months-long battle with GM to get the largest US automaker to split its stock into two classes — one would collect on the company’s dividend, and the other would capture the ...

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• 3 June

  US labour market seen losing momentum

  

  Bloomberg There are plenty of explanations for the weaker-than-expected May jobs report, but the big picture is clear: The US labour market has lost some of its mojo. Monthly payroll gains are averaging 162,000 this year, a step down from the 2016 pace of 187,000, following a below-forecast rise last month and downward revisions to March and April in Labor ...

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• 3 June

  ‘Back channels’ are protocol for a president

  

  ‘Back channels’ have been used by every modern president, from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama. If that’s so, what’s the problem with the pre-inauguration contacts between White House adviser Jared Kushner and two Russian intermediaries? It’s a fair question. But that doesn’t mean that the right answer is a reflexive approval of Kushner’s contacts, as offered by Homeland Security ...

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• 3 June

  An Ambani default won’t fly in India’s banking mess

  

  Balance-sheet turbulence at large Indian companies is nothing new. The $180 billion of stressed assets in the banking system are mainly due to about 60 big corporate accounts. Yet two things make this week’s meltdown in the shares and debentures of Reliance Communications Ltd an unusual cautionary tale. Banks and bondholders are sitting on a combined $7 billion exposure to ...

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• 3 June

  Theresa May’s political malpractice

  

  UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s election campaign has run into a spot of bother. Less than a month ago the Tories were leading Labour by more than 20 percentage points and heading, it seemed, for a landslide victory on June 8. One recent poll has cut that lead to just five points. The setback is May’s fault — and, oddly ...

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• 3 June

  NATO allies can spend more money, more wisely

  If Donald Trump and Barack Obama agree on something, does that mean it’s true? In the case of Europe’s woeful support of its collective defense, yes: Member states need to contribute their “fair share” toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a phrase both men used in speeches in European capitals. The question is what “fair share” means. Instead of measuring ...

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• 3 June

  World Bank has bigger problems than bad writing

  

  Economists, to put it mildly, are not known for their communication skills. The typical economics paper is written in a formal, stilted style, laden with phrases like ‘in the following subsection’ and ‘it has been shown that.’ Jargon flies thick and fast, interspersed with highly formalized mathematical definitions and propositions. For a non-economist to hack through the verbal jungle of ...

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• 3 June

  JPMorgan trading dip should be taken in stride

  

  Why so surprised, bank investors? Shares of two of the largest US lenders, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp., tumbled recently to their lowest levels in at least four months after executives said second-quarter trading revenue is poised to fall at least 10 percent from the same period a year ago. Rival Wall Street banks with large ...

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• 3 June

  An airline-cabin laptop ban could kill people

  

  The laptop ban is coming. Can anyone doubt it? The latest signal came on Fox News Sunday, when Chris Wallace interviewed President Donald Trump’s secretary of homeland security, John Kelly. “Are you going to ban laptops in the cabins on all international flights into and out of the US?” Wallace asked. “I might,” Kelly replied, flashing the small, satisfied smile ...

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• 3 June

  Apple to launch Siri speaker in bid to rival Google, Amazon

  

  Bloomberg Apple Inc. is already in your pocket, on your desk and underneath your television. Soon, a device embossed with “Designed by Apple in California” may be on your nightstand or kitchen counter as well. The iPhone-maker has started manufacturing a long-in-the-works Siri-controlled smart speaker, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple could debut the speaker as soon as ...

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