May, 2016

• 25 May

  China pushes One Belt, One Road in Central Asia

  Catherine Putz On Saturday, while Kazakh police were rounding up potential protesters near the Baiterek monument, Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov was meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. That the protests were linked to simmering frustrations about changes to the Land Code that rumor said could lead to the Chinese purchase of Kazakh land is a coincidence–but one that highlights ...

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• 25 May

  How Sanders and Clinton could heal their rift

  

    The acrimony between Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, inflamed in recent weeks, is likely to be resolved with a series of compromises that will bring relative unity in the weeks after next month’s final primaries. Limited conversations between supporters of the two candidates have been productive and both sides are guardedly optimistic, despite the sharp barbs the campaigns ...

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• 25 May

  Poland’s Europe problem has deep roots

  

  On a sunny day in Warsaw, it’s difficult to understand why the city’s well-kept streets simmer with anger and discontent over the European vision. The economy has been growing at 3.6 percent, roughly twice the overall European rate. And there’s little or no influx of Syrian or Afghan refugees: Warsaw must be whiter than any other major city in Europe, ...

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• 25 May

  Korea’s other sunshine policy

    Jenna Gibson Stories about South Korea’s education obsession are nothing new. News outlets have run exposés of illegal late-night cram schools or lamentations of the country’s high-pressure testing system. In these stories, much has been said about the mental health repercussions of 14-hour school days. But there are now growing concerns about the physical consequences of keeping students in ...

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• 25 May

  Ma Ying-jeou’s legendary (trade) millions

    When The Economist recently reported that Taiwan’s trade with China “ballooned” during the administration of outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou of the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT), it was repeating what has become a commonplace among writers on the cross-strait relationship. We are told that trade “boomed” under Ma (Washington Post, Institutional Investor), or “particularly since Ma” (East Asia Forum, International Business ...

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• 25 May

  Stocks, emerging markets gain as Fed seen pulling off hike

  

    BLOOMBERG Don’t fear the Fed is the new mantra for global markets. Global equities rose to a two-week high amid increasing investor optimism that the world economy can withstand higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve. Oil advanced and gold fell amid a retreat in the dollar. U.S. shares looked for consecutive climbs after alternating between gains and losses ...

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• 25 May

  Brazilian companies looking to invest say anywhere but here

  

    Bloomberg Brazilian companies have figured out where to invest amid a political crisis and rocky economy: anywhere but Brazil. Industrial machinery maker WEG SA said 75 percent of its investments this year will be in operations outside the country. That compares with 80 percent of total investments in Brazil three years ago. In the past two months, the Jaragua ...

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• 25 May

  Gulf rises on back of oil, global mood

  

    Dubai / Reuters Gains for global equity and oil markets boosted Gulf bourses on Wednesday with Saudi petrochemical shares and Dubai real estate stocks leading the gains. Riyadh’s index rose 0.6% in modest volume as Saudi Basic Industries, the largest petrochemical producer, climbed 1.2%. Saudi Cement added 2.0% after the company said it had sold its 40% stake in ...

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• 25 May

  Mobile phone shipments stutter in region

  

    ALKESH SHARMA / Emirates Business Weakening consumer sentiments and dwindling markets have started taking a toll on various trades in the Middle East region. The mobile phone industry is also experiencing much of the heat, with a recent survey report citing that shipments of phones have declined by over 10 percent during the first quarter of 2016, compared with ...

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• 25 May

  Cyber crimes can shake cutomers’ trust in company

  

    RITIKA SHARMA / Emirates Business If you thought that it is just data and money that is at stake during cyber-attacks, think again. In UAE, cyber-crimes expose not only the vulnerability of the company’s security system, but also shake the customers’ confidence and trust. A UAE-centric survey recently reported that companies might lose substantial number of their customers after ...

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