Links 3 January 2018

Global Macro/Investing/Economics

• Criminal Underworld Is Dropping Bitcoin for Another Currency – Bloomberg
• Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund Makes Monster Bet on Bitcoin – WSJ
• Who Are the Big Players in the Bond Market? Small Investors – WSJ
• The geopolitics of international currency choice – Vox
• The rate of return on everything – Vox
• Gold Is on Its Best Run Since 2011 – Bloomberg
• Draining of QE punchbowl sobers up bond bulls – FT

Americas

• Donald Trump’s Year of Living Dangerously – Politico
• The Trump Effect: Business, Anticipating Less Regulation, Loosens Purse Strings – NYTimes
• Amazon Will Buy Target This Year, Gene Munster Predicts – Bloomberg
• Foreign governments are finding ways to do favors for Trump’s business -Miami Herald
• John Dean: Nixon ‘Might Have Survived If There’d Been a Fox News’ – Politico

Europe/Middle East

• Economists still gloomy on post-Brexit economy – FT
• Iran’s leader says enemies have stirred unrest in country – Reuters
• The West should support the protesters in Iran – WaPo
• Putin considers ‘cryptorouble’ as Moscow seeks to evade sanctions – FT
• UK looks to join Pacific trade group after Brexit – FT
• UK growth to slow to 1.5% in 2018, leading economists predict -FT
• Europe’s MiFID II Challenge to U.S. Finance – Bloomberg
• Pakistan holds emergency meeting after Trump tweet – CNN
• Eurasia Group | Top Risks 2018
• Eurozone manufacturing sector growth hits record – FT

Asia

• North Korean Hackers Hijack Computers to Mine Cryptocurrencies – Bloomberg
• South Korea Proposes Border Talks With North Korea After Kim’s Overture – NYT
• China acknowledges Pakistan’s ‘outstanding contributions’ to combat international terrorism – Dawn
• China’s new hypersonic missiles could hit anywhere in U.S. in under an hour, a Chinese military expert says – Newsweek
• China develops underwater surveillance network in Indian Ocean to boost its subs – Deccanchronicle
• Challenges ahead for debris removal at Fukushima- News – NHK WORLD
• Pakistan allows the use of Yuan in bilateral trade with China – News18

Straya/Unzud

• Australian paedophiles hoping to stay under radar in Thailand are facing tougher scrutiny from Royal Thai Police-led unit tasked with policing sex crimes against children. – The Age
• Sydney and Melbourne home prices fall, more declines tipped for 2018 – SMH
• Flashback: 70 years ago today, the 40-hour, five day working week began – Canberra Times
• Two Australian law firms considering class action against Apple – news.com
• ‘Aussie flu’ threatens Britain – TheAge
• US perpetrating a ‘diplomatic insult’ on Australia, says former deputy PM Tim Fischer – CanberraTimes

…and some more

• Airlines recorded zero accident deaths in commercial passenger jets last year: 2017 was the safest year on record for commercial passenger air travel – Reuters
• More than a quarter of Earth’s land surface will become “significantly” drier even if humanity manages to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius, the goal espoused in the Paris Agreement, scientists said on Monday – France24
• “Oh My God, This Is So F—ed Up”: Inside Silicon Valley’s Dark Side – VanityFair
• If We Can Put a Man on the Moon, Why Can’t We Put a Man on the Moon? – WSJ (its the whole, “having goals moved around instead of sustainable systems” dilemma)
• With Disney Deal Looming, Murdoch’s Empire Is Fractured – NYT (will the Empire Strike Back?)
• Why experts believe cheaper, better lidar is right around the corner – ArsTechnica
• Disgusted Robert Mueller Eats 2 20-Piece Chicken McNugget Meals In One Sitting In Attempt To Get Into Trump’s Mind – The Onion
• Hear All of Mozart in a Free 127-Hour Playlist – OpenCulture….get some kulcha up ya!