Weekend Links July 25-26, 2015

The Death of Sardanapalus (La Mort de Sardanapale), 1827, Louvre

Eugène Delacroix

China

• Chinese Factory Gauge Weakens in Threat to Economic Recovery – Bloomberg
• China’s consumers embrace credit cards as regulators rebuff new industry entrants – China Economic Review
• China’s Live Stress Test – Project-Syndicate
• Cheers, Fears for China’s Next Step Overseas – Caixin
• China has “no safe places to invest”, says Bridgewater – World Finance
• Policy Banks Linked to ‘Belt and Road’ Plans Said to Get US$ 31 Bln – Caixin
• CSF Said to Get 1.22 Tln Yuan from Banks for Stock Buys – Caixin
• World’s largest hedge fund Bridgewater has turned bearish on China – Market Watch
• Beijing’s latest round of SOE reforms on track to bolster China’s corporate colossi – China Economic Review
• China’s inefficiently small cities: Perhaps Not? – VoxEU
• Foreign-owned firms in the technology take-off in China – VoxEU
• China’s Selloff: Opportunity or No-Go Zone? – The Financialist
• Beijing says it must intervene in markets ‘when necessary’, in fresh defence of bailout – SCMP
• China’s factory sector contracts most in 15 months, survey suggests – SCMP
• IMF tells Beijing it’s worried about investors’ mobility in mainland Chinese markets – SCMP
• Zombies and cannibals: The horrors of China’s financial system, charted – Quartz
• China’s Global Ambitions, With Loans and Strings Attached – NY Times
• Cathedrals (Video) – Aeon …one way to think about China’s development…..

Asia

• China’s stock market pain spurs India’s market gain – Vancouver Sun
• Taiwan’s SWF plan proceeds despite opposition – Asian Investor
• Long history of money-losers for Japan Inc. – Japan Times
• Japan warns of military angle to Chinese offshore gas development – Nikkei Asian Review
• South Korean economy’s stagnation deepens – Nikkei Asian Review
• IMF urges Japan to ‘reload Abenomics’ to continue recovery – BBC
• Iran eyes $185 billion oil and gas projects after sanctions – Reuters
• What China-Vietnam trade balance figures miss, misstate and mask – China Economic Review
• Nikkei’s ‘pink ‘un’ buy highlights need to escape greying Japan – Reuters
• Malaysia suspends newspaper in 1MDB scandal amid fears over press freedom – SCMP

Europe

• The Eurozone’s German Problem – Project-Syndicate
• Europe’s Vindictive Privatization Plan for Greece – Project-Syndicate
• Greek store closures spike as recession, austerity return – CBS
• Demographic crisis looms for Europe’s emerging markets – BNE…we have issues but some countries have bigger issues….
• Finland is the poster child for why the euro doesn’t work – Washington Post
• Generation rent: how does it feel to be locked out of the housing market? – Guardian
• Iceland is back from the brink, says MP banki – World Finance…good advertisement for a default…
• Hollande’s ‘two-speed’ fantasy: President rediscovers the idea of ‘core’ Europe, but France and Germany remain miles apart. – Politico
• Turkey buzzes weakened Greece – Politico
• Why the Greek Deal Will Work – Project-Syndicate
• The Return of the Ugly German – Project-Syndicate
• Moving on From the Euro – Project-Syndicate
• Europe’s Impossible Dream – NY Times, Krugman
• EU opens antitrust case against Disney, other big studios – CBS
• Greek bailout talks ready to start, but IMF may yet stand aside – Market Watch
• Oil and gas crunch pushes Russia closer to fiscal crisis – Telegraph, AEP
• Lagarde Push for Greece Debt Relief Challenges Merkel – Bloomberg
• Greek bail-out talks delayed by Troika security fears – Telegraph

United Kingdom

• Treasury wants reinvention of public sector – BBC, Peston
• Obama urges UK to stay in European Union – BBC
• A CRISIS OF HOME-OWNERSHIP? – Pieria
• Interest rates could run away from Mark Carney – Telegraph
• Speaker John Bercow claims £172 for 0.7 mile journey – Telegraph…so there’s a Pom Tory Speaker who abuses expenses?…
• End of cheap mortgage boom as big banks raise rates – Telegraph

United States

• The Cities Leading A U.S. Manufacturing Revival – Forbes
• Examining Federal Reserve reform proposals – Brookings
• Why America’s biggest health insurers are suddenly devouring each other – Quartz
• Chicago Fed: US Growth Returns To Historical Trend Rate – Capital Spectator
• US Fed orders large banks to prepare for failure – World Finance
• Initial jobless claims adjusted for population set a new all-time low – Bonddad
• Strong housing on verge of reversal: Redfin – CNBC
• Salary Gap Widens as Top Workers in Specialized Fields Reap Rewards – NY Times
• New Home Sales Slump to Seven-Month Low – NY Times
• The Fed accidentally released a confidential analysis of where interest rates are going – Washington Post

Americas

• With twice the debt of California, Ontario is now the world’s most indebted sub-sovereign borrower – Financial Post
• Add crippling pipeline shortage to Canada natural gas woes as U.S. floods market – Financial Post
• COSTA RICA BECOMES FIRST COUNTRY TO RUN ON 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY – Finance Monthly
• UN urges Canada to probe mining abuses abroad – Mineweb
• Why Argentina Consistently, and Unapologetically, Refuses to Pay Its Debts – Bloomberg
• Is it lights out for Puerto Rico? – Washington Post

Terra Incognita

• Australia risks losing top investment ranking, Standard & Poor’s warns – ABC
• Free trade agreement: Australian Industry Group criticises lack of transparency in China deal – ABC
• Bronwyn Bishop defends taxpayer-funded travel to colleague Sophie Mirabella’s wedding as ‘official business’ – ABC…of course she does, she’s entitled…
• Commonwealth Bank raises interest rates for property investors – ABC
• We’ve been promised tax reform, but will it be enough? – ABC, Steketee
• The real problem is partisanship, not expenses. – Pearls & Irritations, Menadue
• More government dishonesty on China FTA – Pearls & Irritations, Kinnaird
• Australia Must Mend Budget as Expected to Keep Rating, S&P Says – Bloomberg
• Old Hotels, Mediocre Customer Service Hamper Australia’s Tourism Revival – Bloomberg, Michael Heath
• Australia’s AAA credit rating rests on tough budget measures, S&P says – Fairfax
• Told you so: the federal budget assumptions are rubbish – Fairfax, Pascoemeter
• Labor to slap new minimum tax rate on the super wealthy – Fairfax
• Shelter from gold rout: Australian miners provide safe haven – Mineweb
• Australian coal sector being undermined by responsible Chinese policy – Bill Mitchell
• Japan seen seeking U.K. help to best German bid for Aussie sub deal – Japan Times
• What an equitable GST reform package should look like – The Conversation
• Truthy untruths: behind the facade of the Intergenerational Report – The Conversation
• Australia’s fluctuating cost of living offers Reserve Bank a rates riddle – Guardian, Jericho
• Australian dollar hits fresh six-year low as Chinese factories continue to falter – Guardian
• Penny Wong backs fight against free-trade clauses that let companies sue Australia – Guardian
• The Australian dollar is ‘smashed’ and teetering over the US70c precipice – Guardian, Kouk
• Apartment building spree: will it lead to a glut, or transform the way we live? – Guardian
• KIWI’S FALL FROM GRACE – Short Side of Long
• Mike Baird fills Tony Abbott’s leadership vacuum – Fairfax
• Parliamentary gridlock could cost Australia its AAA credit rating: Standard and Poor’s – Fairfax….let the blame games begin!….
• Revolving regulators: How one door opens another in Australia’s financial system – Fairfax

Capital Markets

• Lawsuit accuses 22 banks of manipulating U.S. Treasury auctions – Reuters
• Economist: Here’s Why US Stocks Will Crash 50% – ETF.com…Charles Robertson is no dill…
• Inside investment: Rights and responsibilities of the renminbi – Euromoney
• Gold “Flash-Crashes” Again Amid Continued Commodity Liquidation As China Manufacturing Slumps To 15-Month Lows – Zero Hedge
• Central Banks And Our Dysfunctional Gold Markets – Zero Hedge
• Stop knocking the euro – Reuters, Hadas
• 56 million investors trading stocks online – China Daily
• Is The Global Equity Bull Market Alive? – Short Side of Long
• Great Graphic: China’s Holding of Treasuries – Marc to Market
• Robert Reich: Goldman Sachs and Wall Street “masterful” at exploiting Greece – Salon
• Gold rout could turn into stampede out of commodity investment – Telegraph
• Why ‘whatever it takes’ just isn’t going to work for the euro anymore – Telegraph
• Citigroup Says Top Trade in Commodity Rout Is Short Iron Ore – Bloomberg
• Emerging market currencies crash on Fed fears and China slump – Telegraph, AEP…is the AUD becoming an emerging market currency?…
• Emerging Market Currencies Tumble to Record Low in ‘Violent’ Selloff – Bloomberg

Commodities

• China’s rising commodity exports changing nature of trade – Reuters, Clyde Russell
• Why gold is falling and won’t get up again – Market Watch
• An open letter to investors who are bullish on gold – Market Watch
• Why the plunge in oil prices might not send gas prices lower – Washington Post
• Call off the bee-pocalypse: U.S. honeybee colonies hit a 20-year high – Washington Post
• China Company Slips on Canada Oil Sands — Energy Journal – WSJ
• Anglo American and Lonmin cut jobs amid commodity slump – Guardian
• Olive oil prices surge due to drought and disease in Spain and Italy – Guardian
• Global mining industry faces up to a deep malaise – Guardian
• Hedge Funds Are Holding First-Ever Gold Net-Short Position – Bloomberg

Global Macro

• Financial Times to sell to Nikkei for $1.3 billion – CBS
• Mitsubishi Motors to end US production – Nikkei Asian Review
• The markets have moved on from Greece, but investors are missing the big picture – The Conversation
• US Recession Imminent – World Trade Slumps By Most Since Financial Crisis – Zero Hedge
• What’s going on with global trade? – Financial Post
• Sorry to burst your bubble: New research suggests it is debt, not frothy asset prices, that should worry regulators most – Economist
• WTO members seal trillion-dollar IT trade deal – Reuters
• The China factor in Russian support for the Iran deal – Brookings
• Cheap Money Is Here to Stay – Bloomberg
• The M.I.T. Gang – NY Times, Krugman
• Amazon’s stunning profit may be short-lived – Market Watch
• It’s Hard to Bet Against Houses – Bloomberg

…and furthermore…

• The remarkably high odds you’ll be poor at some point in your life – Washington Post
• HSBC, Standard Chartered probed over possible handling of dirty money in Fifa scandal – SCMP
• How to Charge $1,000 for Absolutely Nothing – Priceonomics…good read…
• After markets – Aeon…are we getting closer to post capitalism?…
• RoboCorp: Are we ready for companies that run themselves? – Aeon
• Does the Bounty-Hunting Industry Need Reform? – The Atlantic
• THE CULLING SEASON: Too many kangaroos loose in Canberra – The Monthly
• How much more will rich kids earn as adults? – CBS
• Why half of the life you experience is over by age 7 – Washington Post
• Accenture CEO explains the reason why he’s overhauling performance reviews – Washington Post
• Hitachi dubs new data-mining software ‘artificial intelligence’ – Japan Times
• Drug Testing Is Coming to E-Gaming – NY Times
• Harmful drinking among middle-class over-50s is a ‘hidden phenomenon’ – Guardian
• How today’s paltry savings-account rates actually rank vs. other periods – Market Watch
• AGGREGATION THEORY – Stratechery
• Reducing risk-taking by regulating bonuses: EU vs US Dodd-Frank – VoxEU
• Attracting students to economics: Evidence from a natural experiment – VoxEU
• The behavioural economics of voluntary disclosure – VoxEU
• Antitrust, regulatory capture and economic integration – Bruegel…or sellout, in Australia’s case…
• The Least Meaningful Job in America (According to PayScale) – Slate
• Why President Obama and Congress turned their backs on food safety – Politico
• THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS – Pieria
• The Keynes-Ramsey-Savage debate on probability – RWER

The last word

• Why tiny towns are giving away land. Shrinking small towns across Canada are turning to that tried-and-true growth technique: cheap land – MacLean’s….now there is an idea….