Trump’s sinking fantasy

  Like shipwrecked mariners clinging to a floating mast, many Republicans rationalize supporting Donald Trump because of “the court.” This two-word incantation means: Because we care so much for the Constitution, it is supremely important to entrust to Trump the making of Supreme Court nominations. Well. In a Republican candidates debate, Trump complained that Ted Cruz had criticized Trump’s sister, ...

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Citigroup stockpiles ‘weapons of mass destruction’

  Citigroup has carved out an an improbable niche, given its history of receiving the most federal aid among banks in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The bank, which already has the most derivatives of any of its U.S. rivals, has been buying credit-default swaps from its European rivals, which are under growing pressure to quickly cut holdings ...

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Wall Street’s weird disconnect with Tesla

  Wall Street threw in the towel on Tesla Motors this week. Sort of, anyway. Analysts’ consensus forecast for Tesla’s earnings per share in 2016 finally slipped into the red this week. A few cuts in the wake of Wednesday’s second-quarter results took the estimate from a profit of about 23 cents to a loss of about 65 cents, according ...

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Erdogan’s trip to Russia a pragmatic move

  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived Russia on Tuesday for his first meeting with counterpart Vladimir Putin since the two strongmen began healing a bitter feud over Ankara’s downing of a Russian warplane last November. The shooting down of a Russian jet saw a furious Putin slap economic sanctions on Turkey and launch a bitter war of words. Putin ...

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Emerging-market rally gains as China data improves

  Bloomberg Emerging-market stocks and currencies advanced for a fourth day as narrowing Chinese factory deflation signaled the world’s second-largest economy is stabilizing. Indian bonds rallied after the central bank said it’s keeping accommodative policy. Raw-material producers touched a 13-month high paced by South Korean steelmaker Posco, while stocks in the Philippines rose for a second day. Data out of ...

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Qatar up on emerging fund inflows, Gulf slightly higher

DUBAI / Reuters Qatar’s main stock index outperformed its peers in early trade on Tuesday as emerging market funds continue to hunt for bargains there. Doha’s main index rose 0.7 percent as 11 of the 12 Qatari shares that are members of the MSCI emerging market index advanced. Petrochemical conglomerate Industries Qatar was up 2.2 percent and Qatar National Bank ...

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Gulf may have firm tone on emerging market inflows

  DUBAI / Reuters Gulf stock markets may have a firm tone as emerging market funds continue to hunt for bargains. Bank of America Merrill Lynch data released at the end of last week noted investors’ search for yield had led to the largest five-week inflow on record to emerging market debt funds and the longest inflow streak to equity ...

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Putin, Erdogan pledge to rebuild ‘strained’ relations

  Saint Petersburg / AFP Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday looked to rebuild ties as they met for the first time since Ankara downed one of Moscow’s warplanes in November. Erdogan’s visit to Putin’s hometown of Saint Petersburg is also his first foreign trip since the failed coup against him last month that ...

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Saudi-led strikes push Qaeda out of Yemen town

  Aden / AFP Air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition have forced Al-Qaeda fighters out of a key town in southern Yemen, a security official said on Tuesday. “Al-Qaeda militants have withdrawn from Azzan, the second city in Shabwa province, after coalition raids targeted their gatherings in the city” on Monday night, the official said. A resident said by telephone ...

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France seals €1bn military helicopter sale to Kuwait

  Paris / AFP France will supply 30 military helicopters to Kuwait in a deal worth over one billion euros ($1.1 billion) that French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signed in the Gulf state on Tuesday. The agreement to buy the versatile Airbus Caracal helicopters is part of a 2.5 billion euro package of deals that the two countries agreed ...

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