US agencies bicker over ethanol plan as higher fuel use looms

Bloomberg President Donald Trump’s pledge to his rural agricultural base to allow year-round sales of higher blends of ethanol is spurring differing opinions between two key federal agencies. US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told lawmakers in a House hearing that a final rule to allow widespread sales of those higher blends “won’t happen” by the summer-driving season following delays from ...

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It made sense for Trump to walk away in Hanoi

With the abrupt breakdown of the Hanoi summit, the diplomatic negotiations between the United States and North Korea got a reset, and that’s a good thing. If dialogue resumes, it will be on a firmer, more realistic basis. President Trump’s swoon for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had worried many observers who feared the president would make a rushed, ...

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S Korea’s economy is alive but not well

Send out a search party for South Korea’s economy. Domestic activity is in a tough spot, but the Bank of Korea seems preoccupied with second-guessing the Federal Reserve and parsing any trade accord between the US and China. The central bank kept its benchmark interest rate at 1.75 percent on February 28, a non-step that was widely forecast. The flaw ...

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Invoking Great Recession is a great distraction!

Well, that’s a relief! Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng says a global financial crisis-style recession isn’t likely today. “The January 2019 price decline was not caused by recession or any kind of weak demand … The same severe GDP contraction Malaysia suffered in 2009 is nowhere to be seen today.” Fantastic. But who says it’s the same? Throwing up ...

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Macron can revive his French revolution

France’s Yellow Vest protest movement seems to be losing steam. Turnout is diminishing, public support is weakening, and anger has flared over anti-Semitism in its ranks. If the marchers are mostly staying home, though, the problems they identified haven’t gone away. In fact, they could define President Emmanuel Macron’s remaining time in office. The protesters first took to the streets ...

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Actually, Australia should be panicked about coal

Sydney is a wonderful, modern town. But, over the past few days, all anyone here has wanted to talk to me about is that most 19th-century of industries: coal. It’s not hard to see why, after a startling report — quickly denied — that some Chinese ports had blocked shipments of Australian coal. The Australian dollar briefly tanked on the ...

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Theresa May keeps everybody locked in Brexit purgatory

Theresa May tried to execute a u-turn while claiming to remain utterly consistent. Having promised dozens of times to deliver Brexit on time on March 29, she told parliament she would support a short delay to the exit date if that was the wish of lawmakers. But her core message was unchanged: The choice before MPs next month will still ...

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Next ECB chief economist is more than a dove

Philip Lane, the governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, is set to be the next chief economist of the European Central Bank (ECB) – a key policy-setting position. Lane is considered a monetary policy dove, but there’s more to his views on how the euro area should function. He has controversial positions on the need for a European safe ...

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Goldman, JPMorgan still see upside in China assets

Bloomberg Chinese stocks have had a great start to 2019, and it may not stop there. The benchmark CSI 300 Index has risen 25 percent this year, outperforming all other major stock gauges. The offshore yuan has risen more than 2 percent versus the US dollar. And while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. say some sectors ...

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Domestic revenge ignites in UK stocks as Brexit D-Day averted

Bloomberg A can kicked down the road is better than one that explodes in your face. And so, in stock markets at least, people are feeling more relaxed about Brexit than for some time. With UK Prime Minister Theresa May agreeing to possibly postpone the March 29 scheduled departure date if her deal fails and, at the same time, the ...

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