January, 2017

• 21 January

  The enduring dignity of Barack Obama

    Posterity will pass fuller and fairer judgment on the presidency of Barack Obama than is possible today, but on one issue the verdict is already clear: personal integrity. In an especially hostile political environment, Obama was civil and decent, and he served with honor and dignity. Partisanship should not prevent Republicans from acknowledging these truths. Like his predecessor, George ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Trump speech served only domestic audience

    And finally Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on Friday, becoming commander-in- chief of a riven nation facing uncertainty under a leader who had never held before any political office or high military rank. In his inaugural speech, which lasted for about 16 minutes, Trump painted a bleak picture of America, which ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  The way forward on disposing nuclear waste

  

    Last week, I joined the New Mexico governor, congressional delegation members, the mayors of Carlsbad and Hobbs, citizens and a proud workforce in commemorating the reopening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant after a three-year shutdown because of an underground accident. The facility is the US’s only geological repository for nuclear waste, such as plutonium-contaminated materials from the Department ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Keep saving, Hong Kongers

  

    It takes around 35 years for a median-income household to buy a 90-square-meter (970 square foot) apartment in Hong Kong. So, by 2052 in other words. That makes the former British colony the world’s least affordable city, according to Oxford Economics. Now, with Chinese buyers forking out ever-higher amounts for land sold by the government and outbidding domestic stalwarts, ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  The ups and downs of portfolio rebalancing

  

    It’s a new year, and for many investors that means it’s time to rebalance that old portfolio. Portfolio rebalancing is one of the most cherished wisdoms in investing. The markets can whipsaw investments in a portfolio over time, and rebalancing brings it back into, well, balance. Rebalancing is also a backdoor way to buy low and sell high because ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  The ‘ArtLords’ of Afghanistan

  

    Kabul / / DPA Slowly, slowly the portrait of a girl takes shape on the crumbling, mud brick wall, the round, smiling face of a young girl wearing a head scarf in shades of red, green and white. The girl’s name is Mursal and she’s 12 years old. A couple of years ago she survived a serious attack on ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Earning livelihood via ‘secret’ advertising

  

    DPA A bridge reflected in the water below. A young man standing on a rocky ledge. Maximilian Muench took both photos. He published them on his Instagram page. What’s not to like there? At first glance they might look like ambitious holiday snaps, but in fact Muench was paid for them by the government of a German state, Saxony, ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  China offered temporary liquidity support to big banks

  

    Bloomberg China’s central bank said it provided a “temporary liquidity facility” to some major commercial banks for 28 days to help ease a cash crunch before the Lunar New Year holiday. The operation provides more effective liquidity transmission before the week-long break, the People’s Bank of China said in a statement. The PBOC said the new lending facility will ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Lloyds to pick Frankfurt for EU subsidiary post Brexit

  

    Bloomberg Lloyds Banking Group Plc, Britain’s largest mortgage lender, is set to pick Frankfurt as its base to maintain access to the European Union’s single market following Brexit, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The UK bank will choose to convert its German branch into a subsidiary and plans to apply for an extension to its ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Indian banks seek reprieve for US$13 billion loan revamp

  

    Bloomberg Some of India’s biggest lenders are asking the central bank to ease debt-management rules as they try to restructure about Rs87,000 crore ($13 billion) owed by Essar Steel Ltd. and Bhushan Steel Ltd., according to people with knowledge of the matter. Lenders including State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank Ltd. are aiming to restructure the debt ...

  Read More »