Bloomberg The former chief executive officer of Noble Group Ltd. has filed a lawsuit against founder Richard Elman claiming that he’s owed stock in the embattled commodity trader. Yusuf Alireza, who left the company in May 2016, filed the suit against Elman in the High Court of Hong Kong alleging contract breaches, according to a writ of summons. Alireza seeks ...
Read More »Punishing Putin mostly means punishing his foes
After being surprised by broad-based protests in late March, the Russian authorities were ready to prevent a repeat on Monday. Police detained hundreds across the country as well as opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The protests themselves were thinner, too — planning to be arrested, which is likely, is not for everyone — but thousands still turned out. As I watched ...
Read More »India central bank’s freedom gets crucial test after rate decision
Clashes between central banks and governments happen the world over. India is no different, yet the recent friction between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over a controversial rate call offers up a test case of central bank independence in this $2 trillion economy. Last October, the RBI led by governor Urjit Patel adopted ...
Read More »Trump’s Obamacare crisis
Like too much else in Washington, the slow-motion collapse of Obamacare was an eminently avoidable crisis. The question, now that it is happening, is whether President Donald Trump and Congress want to work together to contain it. With Anthem Inc.’s alarming decision to quit Ohio’s health-insurance marketplace, 18 more counties can now be added to the territory where people who ...
Read More »France gives Macron a mandate for change
So the presidential election was no fluke: The voters of France have put Emmanuel Macron’s new République En Marche (Republic on the Move) party on course for a big parliamentary majority. If this is confirmed in the June 18 runoff, Macron will control not just foreign policy but domestic policy as well. His task in reforming the French economy, as ...
Read More »Democracy never faced a threat like Facebook
The social media giants based in the US may soon face a new attack in Europe: There’s a perception among activists and officials that the basis of their business model — targeted advertising — can be a threat to democracy. In a speech, Commissioner Margrethe Vestager — who, as the top European Union antitrust official, has been the nemesis of ...
Read More »Central banks face new dilemmas as markets rally
Markets have enjoyed a sustained rally on low volatility caused, in part, by uncertainty about the outlook for fiscal policy. Financial conditions have loosened substantially, which has presented a window of opportunity for central banks to tighten policy. The dilemma for central banks is how quickly monetary policy accommodation can be removed against the backdrop of political uncertainty and below ...
Read More »Draghi is right to hold out for wage growth
Call it the mystery of missing wage growth. The euro zone recovery is gathering pace, but there are no signs this spurt of activity is giving workers the pay rise they have been waiting for. Wages rose by a mere 1.6 percent at the end of last year. This is well below the historical average of 2.1 percent. This puzzle ...
Read More »Europe stocks extend win streak; oil drops on data
Bloomberg European equity investors were in a bullish mood as technology companies extended their winning streak, leading gains across almost all sectors. The dollar weakened a third day and Treasuries rose, neither with much conviction as traders tread water before the US interest rate decision. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index headed for the highest in more than a week as ...
Read More »Indian stock market bears up against monsoon rains, tax plan
Bloomberg Seasonal rain and a simpler tax system are going to give another push to India’s stock market, the best this year among the 10 largest. So says Baroda Pioneer Asset Management Co., countering the bearish view that stocks in India have become too expensive too fast. Further gains, the money manager says, are underpinned by a growing economy and ...
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