Global Macro / Markets / Investing:
- US interest rates to remain low throughout 2015: Deustche – Kitco
- Iran wants Saudi’s to pull out finger on oil price problem – Reuters
- Record highs in US Stocks cap a volatile 2014 – Bloomberg
- Economic old world order is under threat in 2015 – The Guardian
Americas:
- Minimum wage rises in some US States – NYT (about time – huge gap in pay still exists)
- Jeb Bush gets ready to run for Prez in 2016 – Reuters (oh dear, return of the Bush Empire…)
- US jobless claims fall to lowest in 14 years – Bloomberg
Europe:
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- 2015 is still about the economy in Europe – EUObserver (jerbs!!! create some m’fing jerbs!)
- China stakes claim in eastern and central Europe – BNE News (infrastructure giants!)
- Merkel attacks waves of right wing populism – FT (well, you kinda caused that Angela – the Germans are obsessing about the hyperinflation 20’s but ignoring the rise of nationalism 1930’s….)
- Renzi is the last hope for the elites in Italy – FT
- Lithuanians agree to adopt the euro – EU Observer (oh dear – although this might be more strategic than economic, viz. Russian ambitions in the Baltic)
Asia:
- China’s December factory PMI show cooldown continues – Reuters
- From Ugly American to Ugly Chinese on world tourism – The Diplomat (heard a few of the former on my very short holidays)
- Japan’s birthrate drops to new lows as population reverses – The Guardian (Future of the West? Or even China first?)
Local:
- Australia did not “stop the boats” – The Guardian (or the country’s slide into greedy, selfish, brutish cowardism)
- As Scott Morrison shows his true colors, trying to stop Citizenship ceremonies – Fairfax (and now has his hands on social welfare….)
- NZD parity a possibility – AFR (damn straight – but Kiwis can wait a little longer to start buying distressed assets)
- Ross Garnaut says tough economic reform a must – AFR (but unlikely to happen with the adults in charge)
- Aussie super funds lost money in 2nd half, annual returns down to 6% – AFR (volatility is a bitch if you don’t take advantage of it)
Other:
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- Why do Chinese parent’s prefer western education for their children? Caixin Online (repeating mistakes of the west??)
- Economist Thomas Piketty says “non” to France’s highest honour – The Guardian (agree/disagree with his work, but got to admire his chutzpah!)
- More fail with the F-35! Repeating mistake of the F-4 Phantom with no gun – Gizmodo (should have just built 3 separate, specific fighters to replace the F-16, Harrier and F/A-18…much more robust in the end, on almost every metric of risk/economics/capability….moh well)
- Pope Francis goes after the slave traders and human traffickers – The Guardian (what a man – again agree/disagree with his religious beliefs, but full marks for his humanism!)
How to negotiate by Les Grossman (or how I talk to scammers on the phone):