Bloomberg Angela Merkel said Germany needs a stable government to strengthen Europe in a world fraught with risk as her Social Democratic rivals agreed to talks that could lead to a renewed alliance with the chancellor. As she seeks to end Germany’s political stalemate and clear the way for her fourth term, Merkel argued that a EU without a strong ...
Read More »Peru opp moves to force out President over payments
Bloomberg Opposition lawmakers began an effort to force Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski out of office after he rebuffed calls to resign over his ties to companies that received payments from disgraced Brazilian builder Odebrecht SA. Congressmen from three parties presented a motion to remove the center-right president on the grounds of moral incapacity. The unicameral Congress will hold an ...
Read More »The true tax gap: How about $12 trillion!
When historians examine President Trump’s tax programme, they will surely be struck by a large and momentous contradiction. Although the nation faces endless budget deficits — and although the president purports to speak about the future — his tax programme does little or nothing to curb long-term deficits and, arguably, might make them worse. It is said that the tax ...
Read More »Reliance Jio may be worth same as Sprint if Ambani doesn’t rush it
Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man, can consistently squeeze more than $10 a barrel in refining margins out of crude. Expect no less from him when it comes to monetizing Reliance Industries Ltd.’s investment in Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., the fourth-generation mobile network that’s taken the nation’s digital landscape by storm. What kind of an equity market valuation should Ambani put ...
Read More »Basel III is too kind to Europe’s banks
After years of talks, central banks and financial regulators have finally agreed on the Basel III rules for bank capital. That’s a good thing, mostly. The deal improves the regulatory framework and will give banks greater clarity about what’s required. It’s also a timely reminder that international policy cooperation can work. There’s a catch, however: The new rules have been ...
Read More »How the UK can avoid the worst possible Brexit
At a European Union summit this week, the bloc’s leaders are expected to formally declare that the Brexit talks can move forward. Not a moment too soon. Britain and the EU have spent 18 months since the UK’s decision to quit avoiding the main issues — namely, their future trading relationship and a plan for getting from here to there. ...
Read More »Nurture counts as much as nature in success
The question of nature versus nurture is an important one, but also an incredibly delicate one. How much of the disparities we see in society are fuelled by a lack of good education, social influences and role models, and how much are due to natural ability? Given that people in advanced countries spend multiple decades of their life in school, ...
Read More »Bitcoin finds a Seoul mate to help it get high in Korea
If you can’t beat them, regulate them. That sounds like a pretty good mantra for governments the world over trying to wrap their heads around this tamagotchi of finance better known as bitcoin. South Korea is the latest to propose cryptocurrency measures after a surge in trading started to ring alarm bells. The fact that its citizens were paying close ...
Read More »2017 was bad for Facebook; it will get worse
Facebook is projected to boost sales by 46 percent and double net income, but make no mistake: It had a terrible year. Despite its financial performance, the social media giant is facing a reckoning in 2018 as regulators close in on several fronts. The main issue cuts to the core of the company itself: Rather than ‘building global community,’ as ...
Read More »Russia surprises with big rate cut, but says it’s not a trend
Bloomberg The Bank of Russia surprised the market with a cut in its key rate that was double what economists expected, but warned that it’s not shifting into higher gear on easing. A deal between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies to maintain oil production cuts until the end of 2018 was a key factor lifting the ...
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