December, 2016

• 21 December

  The writing that shaped economic thinking

    The past year was dominated by the bitter presidential election. But during the precious, brief moments when I was able to unplug from the madness and read about economics, I found a lot of great material. Here’s a list of 10 excellent economics books and papers I read in 2016 that should be accessible to the general public. 1. ...

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• 21 December

  Are China’s rural schools failing?

  

    It had become something of a ritual. Every three years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development would release the results of its PISA exams, which are given to hundreds of thousands of students in dozens of countries. And every three years, an American freak-out would ensue, as Chinese students seemed to be outperforming their U.S. counterparts by a ...

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• 21 December

  European banks risk becoming irrelevant

  

    Any conversation with a European bank executive these days quickly turns to talk of how their US rivals are in better shape. American banks were much quicker in bolstering their capital bases after the financial crisis; they also have more regulatory certainty (in part because they didn’t challenge every proposed rule change). And in at least one corner of ...

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• 21 December

  VW reaches $1bn compensation deal in diesel-cheating case

  

    San Francisco / AFP Volkswagen has reached a $1 billion agreement with US authorities on a compensation deal for the last 80,000 vehicles affected by its emissions-cheating scandal in the United States, officials said. However, a Justice Department official said a criminal investigation is ongoing, and charges may still be filed against the company — which could bring new ...

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• 21 December

  Nike earnings top estimates, eases concerns about slowdown

    Bloomberg Nike Inc. posted second-quarter results that surpassed analysts’ estimates, soothing concerns that the world’s largest sports brand is losing ground to competitors such as Adidas AG and Under Armour Inc. Profit was 50 cents a share in the period, which ended Nov. 30, Nike said in a statement. That compared with the 43-cent average of analysts’ projections. Sales ...

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• 21 December

  UK home price growth to slow next year as affordability pushed

  

    Bloomberg UK house-price inflation will slow in 2017 as affordability stretches potential buyers, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Values will rise just 3 percent and the number of transactions will see a moderate decline, RICS said in a statement on Wednesday. That compares with a year-on-year price increase of 6.9 percent in October, according to the ...

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• 21 December

  BlackBerry boosts 2017 profit forecast on software growth

  

    Bloomberg BlackBerry Ltd. boosted its fiscal 2017 earnings outlook and posted a profit in the third quarter, showing the company’s bet on moving more into software and completely away from handsets is paying off. Fiscal third-quarter earnings per share, excluding some items, were 2 cents, compared with analysts’ average estimate of a loss of 1 cent. BlackBerry said it ...

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• 21 December

  Sanofi to dangle $2bn pipeline prize to woo Actelion

  

    Bloomberg Actelion Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Jean-Paul Clozel is known for his faith in the Swiss drugmaker’s experimental medicines, an optimism that may have helped scuttle a deal with Johnson & Johnson. New suitor Sanofi has the perfect negotiating tool. The French company’s takeover offer may include a contingent value right, or CVR, worth about $20 of the $275 ...

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• 21 December

  European stocks drop as Italian bank woes resurface

  

    London / AFP Europe’s main stock markets dropped on Wednesday, with focus once more on Italian bank Monte dei Paschi, whose shares tumbled on fading hopes that it will avoid a state bailout. Around 1115 GMT, London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.2 percent compared with the close on Tuesday. In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 slipped 0.1 ...

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• 21 December

  Saudi stock market rises before 2017 budget

  

    DUBAI / Reuters Saudi Arabia’s stock market rose on Wednesday on the eve of the government’s release of its 2017 budget, and Egypt’s extended a bull run fuelled by for- eign money and last month’s float of the Egyptian pound. The Saudi stock index climbed 0.4 percent, though trading volume shrank to its lowest level in two months as ...

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