April, 2017

• 17 April

  Canada among fastest growing economies

  

    Bloomberg Almost out of nowhere, Canada has become one of the fastest growing economies in the developed world. The oil-producing nation, which struggled mightily with falling crude prices the past two years, grew at an annualized pace of almost 4 percent in the first quarter, according to the Bank of Canada’s latest estimates. No other Group of Seven economy ...

  Read More »
• 17 April

  France’s Macron says German trade surplus harmful to EU’s economy

  

    Bloomberg France’s independent presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, tied with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in polls before the election, said Germany’s large trade surplus is harmful to the euro-zone economy and called for more balance. “Germany benefits from the imbalances within the euro zone and achieves very high trade surpluses,” centrist candidate Macron said in an interview published on ...

  Read More »
• 17 April

  For oil’s future, peer through the hedges

  

    In oil, like life, the secret to happiness is to lower your expectations. That isn’t just a piece of homespun, nihilist wisdom. It’s what’s happening beneath the surface of the oil market. Hedging is how exploration and production companies manage their market risk. Locking in a price for future output — by, for example, selling oil futures — provides ...

  Read More »
• 17 April

  Skewed steel prices betray traces of corrosion in China

  

    Something strange is happening in China’s steel market. Hot-rolled coil, a type of spooled sheet metal used to make everything from automobiles to trains and toasters, now costs less than the rebar used in reinforced concrete. That’s a rare event, and it’s still rarer for the divergence to be this wide. Flat products like hot-rolled coil are generally more ...

  Read More »
• 17 April

  Democrats will regret trying to block Gorsuch

    What did Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer achieve in attempting to deny a vote on Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court? Not keeping Gorsuch off the court; he was approved on Friday. Not preserving the filibuster for use against any future Trump nominee; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell abolished the tactic on Thursday. Not ...

  Read More »
• 17 April

  Vote on Erdogan’s power exposes deep schism

    Turkey voted in support of a historic referendum by 51.41 to 48.59 that will greatly expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office. Although Erdogan has won, there are question marks that are being raised. Opposition parties alleged fraud and the European Union branded it as unfair and said they would challenge the results. Top EU officials said ...

  Read More »
• 17 April

  The de-electrification of American economy

  

    For more than a century after the advent of commercial electrical power in the late 1800s, electricity use in the US rose and rose and rose. Sure, there were pauses during recessions, but the general trajectory was up. The initial drop in electricity use in 2008 and 2009 could be attributed partly to the economic downturn. But the economy ...

  Read More »
• 17 April

  Cathay Pacific needs regime change

  

    It’s a highly choreographed event in which the future leaders of a secretive Chinese institution are announced to the world via a complex internal formula. No, not Beijing’s upcoming Communist Party congress, which traditionally appoints the new leadership — we’re talking about Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.’s succession plan. The appointment of Rupert Hogg to follow Ivan Chu as chief ...

  Read More »
• 17 April

  Use caution, debate over speed bumps lies ahead

  

    A recent report from the UK suggested that the country eliminate speed bumps from its roads to ease vehicle passage and limit carbon emissions. This has since given rise to heated debate. In the US, homeowners often push for more speed bumps in their neighborhoods to slow drivers, making local routes for deliveries more cumbersome each year. But — ...

  Read More »
• 17 April

  Two Saudi telcos stocks surge, Abu Dhabi’s Eshraq rebounds

  

    DUBAI / Reuters Two Saudi Arabian telecommunications stocks surged on Monday on hopes that troubled operators have finally turned the corner, while Abu Dhabi real estate firm Eshraq was helped by a plan to tie up with state fund Mubadala. The Saudi stock index edged up 0.1 percent as Zain Saudi jumped 8.9 percent and Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) added ...

  Read More »