Indo-Pacific, Pocahontas, Pokémon, Uber, NHL, NFL

Caracal Business Insider | Daily
November 28, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Caracal Business Insider: Politics + Policy + Profits

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia

GEOECONOMICS

Agustín Carstens urges US to maintain leadership in worldeconomy: FT reports, the outgoing Mexican central bank governor, a leading figure in global finance, has urged the US to maintain its "openness and leadership in the world economy" and warned that weaker international rules would hurt business in the US and worldwide.

A barrel of WTI Crude is trading near $60.

BOE says British banks could handle a ‘disorderly’ Brexit: WSJ reports, the U.K.’s largest banks could withstand Britain crashing out of the EU.

Nothing to see hear - all is well - extravagant prices for a Mayfair property still good.....

US indicts three Chinese for alleged cyberattacks on Moody’s, Siemens: WSJ reports, a GPS technology developer also targeted by employees of a technology company in Guangzhou, according to the indictment.

US charges three Chinese nationals over hacking: FT reports, DOJ and FBI allege information was stolen from Moody’s Analytics, Siemens, and Trimble.

Chinese general hangs himself after facing graft probe: AFP reports, Zhang Yang, the director of the state's Central Military Commission's political department, was being investigated over connections to two corruption-tainted former senior military officers when he committed suicide on November 23, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Brussels rattled as China reaches out to eastern Europe: Nikkei reports, concerns Beijing's closer ties with EU's poorer nations will influence bloc's policies.

The ‘Indo-Pacific’ has always been about containing the rise of China: The use of the term to describe an emerging India-Japan-US-Australia alliance as a balance against Beijing is not a distortion of the term’s original meaning; it is the fulfillment of it.
SCMP - Abhijit Singh

Japan detects radio signals pointing to possible North Korea missile test: Reuters reports, Japan has detected radio signals suggesting North Korea may be preparing another ballistic missile launch, although such signals are not unusual and satellite images did not show fresh activity, a Japanese government source said on Tuesday.

AFP: Bali paradise turns to tourist nightmare as volcano rumbles

AMERICAN POLITICS

At Navajo veterans’ event, Trump calls Warren ‘Pocahontas’: NYT reports, standing in the Oval Office alongside three World War II code talkers, Mr. Trump made the unscripted comment about Senator Elizabeth Warren after other officials praised the veterans’ history and contributions.

#ClownShow

NYT: Senators race to pass tax bill by sweetening gains for rich

"Republicans, who are pressing for a Senate vote this week, can afford to lose only two of their members if they hope to pass the bill on party lines."

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Monday he planned to vote for the tax bill.

Senate GOP making last-ditch changes to tax plan: Politico reports, McConnell still needs to win over key holdouts before a vote this week.

Tax reform good for moving trucks, possibly: Economists at Goldman speculate that the current tax proposals could prod about 2 percent to 4 percent of top earners in New York City to move elsewhere.

AP: FBI gave heads-up to fraction of Russian hackers’ US targets

"The FBI failed to notify scores of US officials that Russian hackers were trying to break into their personal Gmail accounts despite having evidence for at least a year that the targets were in the Kremlin’s crosshairs."

How tech is winning the Trump era: Politico reports, despite friction with the White House and furor over Russia, some of the president's initiatives would boost Silicon Valley's bottom line. https://goo.gl/rXi1UB

December 12: Alabama's special election with Roy Moore (R) and Doug Jones (D) on the ballot.

GLOBALIZATION EXPLAINED BY A MICHIGANDER 

Marc A. Ross works with clients to develop executive education lectures, speeches, presentations, workshops, and conferences to help demystify globalization, disruption, and American politics. Learn more here.

ENTERPRISE

Death by Pokémon: The Verge reports, in the wake of the Pokémon Go craze, car crashes and fatalities jumped in physical regions associated with the augmented reality game.

Uber Japan’s chief departs for WeWork: Masami Takahashi is joining the co-working space company’s operations in Japan.

SoftBank to offer to buy Uber shares at roughly 30% discount: WSJ reports, SoftBank has told stakeholders in Uber that it will initially offer to buy shares at a nearly 30% discount to the company’s most recent valuation of $68 billion. 

Lyft is raising an additional $500 million in funding. The additional funding round, led by Alphabet Inc’s CapitalG, is an extension of the $1 billion round announced in October.

Smartphone cargo: Yumanman and Huochebang, China’s two biggest Uber-like services connecting truckers with cargo, have agreed to merge, creating a company valued at more than $2 billion.

Tesla truck will need the energy of 4,000 homes to recharge: FT reports, the research raises questions about the viability of quick charging time for the new vehicle.

Toyota chairman wants to tap the brakes on electrics: Nikkei reports, automakers 'won't be able to turn a profit,' Takeshi Uchiyamada warns.

Net Neutrality: Airbnb, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr, Twitter and Vimeo were among over 200 businesses that signed a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai dated Monday, Nov. 27 (as in Cyber Monday), trying to dissuade him from his planned net neutrality rule rollback vote.

Scenes from Sears: 2 locations tell a story of struggle in a tight retail market https://nyti.ms/2i4Q634

Microsoft signed up SAP as a cloud partner in its latest effort to challenge Amazon’s dominance in the market for web-based resources.

NYT: What’s in that can of Chock Full o’Nuts? ‘No Nuts,’ can promises https://goo.gl/GKyUjj

"Chock full o’Nuts started as a company that sold nuts before switching to coffee and operating coffee shops."

Reuters: Roark Capital to buy Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.9 billion

TRENDS

Cyber Black Friday: American consumers spent a record $5 billion on digital sales this Black Friday, a 16.9-percent increase in dollars spent online compared with last year

Shopping becomes a hybrid experience, as stores and smartphones intersect: CSM reports, even in era of rising e-commerce, consumers still want the physical-store experience. And mobile phones have become the bridge between both worlds. https://goo.gl/sh6vdt

Online = Offline | Companies need to excel in both formats to be successful

@FoxBusiness: Americans could be sitting on $33 billion of unused tech, report says

CULTURE

Grammy nominations this morning: The nominees for the 60th edition of the music awards will be announced at 8:30 am ET. 

SPORT

Full NHL 100 Years documentary: Watch the entire film here: https://goo.gl/sGXhwq

Is this the end of the NFL?
NY Mag - Will Leitch

They used to wear Converse sneakers. How UNC’s long, close relationship with Nike began. https://goo.gl/9S3wKU

As sponsors shy away, FIFA faces World Cup shortfall: NYT reports, FIFA’s battered reputation is affecting its sponsorship program for next year’s World Cup. Several high-value slots remain empty with only six months to go.

AFP: Iran wrestler throws bout to avoid fighting Israeli