Links 31 October 2018

Global Macro / Markets / Investing:

• Warren Buffett’s Firm Invests Millions in Fintech – WSJ
• Markets Rattling Investors, Fed Still Calm – U. of Oregon
• The World Bank pushes fragile finance in the name of development – FT Alphaville
• Active funds suffer worst quarter for seven years – FT
• Auditors grapple with crypto and blockchain – FT
• The Global Economy’s Three Games – Project Syndicate
• Rising Libor Troubles Fragile Markets – WSJ
• What Is Globalization? – PIIE
• Stock price rewards for climate saints and sinners – VOX

Americas:

• Trump’s unstructured days define his presidency – Politico
• Trump Sending 5,200 Troops to the Border in an Election-Season Response to Migrants – NY Times
• Trump Persuaded Struggling People to Invest in Scams, Lawsuit Says – NY Times
• What a far-right Bolsonaro presidency in Brazil means for Canadian business – CBC
• Credit-Card Spending Limits in the Crosshairs as Issuers Grow Cautious – WSJ
• A Building Boom Pushes New York City Outward – WSJ
• ’A very different world’ – inside the Czech spying operation on Trump – The Guardian
• Trump’s stunning hypocrisy on preexisting conditions – VOX
• US tax cut said to have little impact on investment – FT
• Hillary Clinton on Possible 2020 Run: ‘I’d Like to Be President’ – NY Times
• Trump’s tariffs are backfiring even on industries that were supposed to benefit from trade protectionism – AEI

Europe:

• Merkel to Give Up CDU Party Leadership in Dramatic Move – Bloomberg
• UK has ‘rolled over’ only 14 out of 236 EU international treaties – FT
• U.K. to Roll Out First-of-Its-Kind Digital Tax – WSJ
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel Won’t Seek Re-election – NY Times
• Angela Merkel to step down in 2021 – BBC
• What the Dutch can teach the world about cannabis – FT
• Why are the Russians leaving London? – FT

Asia:

• Many U.S. firms in China eyeing relocation as trade war bites: survey – Reuters
• U.S. to Restrict Chinese Chip Maker From Doing Business with American Firms – WSJ
• China’s Tech Investment Mania Ebbs—For Now – WSJ
• China stock woes deepen as government efforts fail – FT
• The US-China trade war as a conflict of values – Andrew Batson
• Facebook, Google May Face Billions in New Taxes Across Asia – WSJ

Trans-Tasman:

• Australia’s banks begin relocating functions from London – FT
• Coalition vows to reinstate religious instruction in state schools – The Age
• Richard Di Natale labels Australian arms sales to Saudi Arabia ‘contemptible’ – The Guardian
• Australian encryption-busting Bill fatally flawed: UN Special Rapporteur – ZD Net
• Australians to be fast-tracked through UK immigration from 2019 – ABC
• Charity bosses drove fleet of luxury cars, court told – The SMH
• Casual workers in Australia suffer €600m in wage theft, study finds – Irish Times
• The crisis of the Right in Australia: the liberals are gone and the hard-right can never triumph – John Menadue
• Meth ‘super lab’ worth ‘hundreds of millions’ uncovered in suburban Adelaide – ABC
• ‘It’s a very pleasant island’: Conservatives push back against bid to take children off Nauru – The SMH
• Climate change and renewables driving new mining boom, mining chief says – The SMH
• Anger boils over on NBN rollout – My Business
• Turnbull takes a swipe at Morrison’s Israel embassy plan – The SMH
• Inequality not rising, claims Social services minister – The Guardian
• ANZ tips further LVR rule loosening – Interest.co.nz
• Housing costs to income ratio remains unchanged from 2008 – Interest.co.nz