How much is your privacy on Facebook worth? This question has seen renewed attention following the revelation that political analysis firm Cambridge Analytica, hired by the Trump election campaign, gained access to the private information of more than 50 million users. One of the possible responses that’s generated some discussion is the creation of a paid tier that’s free of ...
Read More »iPhone is coming to Nokia’s rescue, this time around
For a company that no longer makes mobile phones, it’s odd that Nokia Oyj is making almost all of its money from them. The world’s biggest mobile phone maker before the iPhone came along in 2007, the Finnish company’s main business is now communications networks – in theory. That business was responsible for some 88 percent of revenue in the ...
Read More »How the US should handle China’s high-tech ambition
President Donald Trump’s handling of the trade relationship with China poses a threat both to the US and to the world economy — but even his harshest critics agree with him on one thing. China’s bid to dominate the high-tech industries of the future often bends or breaks the rules of liberal international commerce, and needs to be checked. What’s ...
Read More »Finland’s basic income experiment was too timid
KELA, the Finnish social security agency, has failed to secure the funding it needs to extend its universal basic income experiment beyond this year. Although it’s sad that this grand leftist idea is suffering another setback, Finland’s trial effort deserved its fate. Before the experiment was approved by the government in 2016, KELA officials talked of paying 800 euros ($974) ...
Read More »Gas mileage standards won’t fix climate change
Ford Motor Co. plans to largely give up selling cars in North America, focusing instead on trucks and SUVs. The only sedans in its future lineup will be the Mustang and a crossover version of the Focus. Meanwhile, the Donald Trump administration looks likely to roll back the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) targets set by its predecessor’s Environmental Protection ...
Read More »Don’t let doubts about blockchains close your mind
Many people, when they hear the word ‘blockchain,’ think of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Yet there is another feature of the blockchain afoot, one which promises to bring a new and radical decentralization to technology, including social media. Or as it was reported on Twitter: “Silicon Valley used to be a counterculture. It’s not anymore. It is the establishment. The ...
Read More »FANG stocks save week with growth angst lurking at 3% rates
Bloomberg In a week where equity investors got spooked by higher rates and peaking growth, robust earnings from tech giants fell just short of keeping the market afloat. Stocks got slammed when Caterpillar’s “high water mark†comments on profit came just hours after the first 3 percent yield on 10-year Treasuries in four years. It took earnings-fuelled rallies from heavyweights ...
Read More »Virtu veteran’s new crypto market makes $1 million debut
Bloomberg A new decentralised cryptocurrency market co-founded by a veteran of automated trading firm Virtu Financial Inc. handled more than $1 million of transactions. Michael Oved’s company, AirSwap, which began operations last week, probably feels like a contradiction to many on Wall Street: A market with no central place where buyers and sellers gather. Instead, bulletin boards on the company’s ...
Read More »China is bolstering lenders for new assault on shadow banking
Bloomberg Investors who pushed up Chinese bank shares last week on news of lower reserve requirements may have been celebrating too soon. The subtext to the move is an effort to prepare the banks for a painful new phase in China’s campaign to reduce financial-sector risks, as regulators free up deposit rates and accelerate their crackdown on the nation’s as ...
Read More »Barclays, Deutsche Bank paths diverge as Sewing plots retreat
Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG is retreating from its Wall Street rivals. Barclays Plc still thinks it can take them on. The paths of two of Europe’s biggest investment banks are diverging after trading revenue slumped 17 percent at Deutsche Bank in the first quarter and climbed 8 percent at Barclays. The German lender outlined plans to retrench on Wall Street, ...
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