Links 19th December 2016

Global Macro / Markets / Investing:

• Preparing for Bentry, not Brexit – VOX
• Bitcoins 2016 rally crushed all other currencies – Bloomberg
• Big pharma to get bruised on new pricing regimes – FT
• The oil price each gulf state needs to balance its budget – Bloomberg (The Saudi’s need $75USD per barrel – lets hope it never gets there!)

Americas:

• Trump rejects climate change, but one of his resorts could be lost to sea – Bloomberg
• Canada says only 28 Americans have applied for refugee status due to Trump – HeatST.com (just wait another 12 months!)
• The anti-democratic view of Trumps top two advisors – Politico
• GOP wants to dismantle Obamacare because it slashes rich tax bill – LA Times
• President Obama calls Russia a “weak and small country” in last press conference – CNBC

Europe:

• Will the UK’s Post-Brexit trade hinge on non-tariff barriers? – FT
• Lessons on the 1976 crisis for Brexit in 2017 – Bloomberg Brexit
• As UK banks get away with sub 6% corporate tax rate – Reuters
• Protests grow in Poland as new crisis stirs – CNN

Asia:

• China orders 1200 factories to close amid smog problems – Bloomberg
• Purges in North Korea reach new highs under Fat Kim Jong Un – SCMP
• India to cease coal power plant construction in 2022 – Climatechangenews (which implies a drop in imported coal of approx. 23MT)

Trans-Tasman:

• New UnZud PM shakes up the cabinet – Bloomberg
• PM Turnbulls push for Republic is “political deathwish” – ABC News (at least he could get one positive thing done)
• One Nation announces 36 candidates for next QLD election – ABC News (hear that sucking sound?)
• The recession we’re in for real – ABC News
• Top article at DomainFax: how to live in a dogbox of 8 square meters
• As architects decry the dogbox fix as not good enough – Fairfax

Other:

• Disney’s first standalone Star Wars movie, Rogue One big first weekend – Bloomberg (go see it – its not quite Empire Strikes Back, but its no prequel!)
• Elon Musk recommends new sub-subway tunnels to cure congestion – Inverse.com
• The 12 key science moments for 2016 – Guardian