Working Visit, Russian Jets, Rex Tillerson, Nokia, General Motors, World Cup 2018
Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 1, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross
Caracal Business Insider: Politics + Policy + Profits
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia
GEOECONOMICS
NYT: Trump's tweets manage a rare feat: Uniting Britain, in outrage
Trump’s 'working visit' to UK dropped as tensions with Theresa May grow over president's far-Right retweets: The Telegraph reports, Trump had been penciled in for a ‘working visit’ in the first month of 2018 to formally open America’s new London embassy.
President Trump is now a troll
WP - Anne Applebaum
“The British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far-right, which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents,” said the prime minister, Theresa May. When the president responded by attacking May, dozens of others — members of Parliament, the mayor of London, the archbishop of Canterbury — denounced him. One MP said Trump was “racist, incompetent or unthinking — or all three.”
Brexit arrives early in Frankfurt property market: FT reports, big rise in demand for office space as financial businesses firm up relocation plans
OPEC curbs: OPEC members agreed in principle to keep limiting their output through the end of 2018, providing assurance for an oil industry still struggling through a fragile recovery.
British military to test space-based intelligence gathering: Defense News reports, the British military is to test the ability of constellations of low-Earth orbit satellites to provide tactical intelligence gathering.
Need a gun? US defense companies sold $41.93 billion worth of weapons to foreign partners and allies in fiscal 2017, an almost 20 percent increase over 2016 figures.
Russian MPs to vote on banning US media from parliament: AFP reports, Russian lawmakers will vote next week on measures banning all US media from the lower house of parliament, a deputy said Friday, in response to the US Congress stripping state channel RT of its credentials.
Russian jets in Egypt: Moscow and Cairo signed a preliminary agreement to allow Russian military jets to use its airspace and bases.
Leaving Tel Aviv? The Trump administration is considering a plan to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Beijing foots bill for Canadian senators, MPs to visit China: Globe and Mail reports, since 2006, parliamentarians have taken 36 trips to China sponsored by arms of the Chinese government or business groups seeking closer ties and trade with the one-party state, according to travel records
US, China hold quiet military talks amid North Korea tensions: AP reports, US and Chinese generals engaged in an unusual set of security talks on Wednesday, just hours after North Korea’s most powerful missile test yet, focused on how the mighty American and Chinese militaries might communicate in a crisis.
FT: US-China economic dialogue programme has ‘stalled’, Treasury official says
“China is not moving in a market-oriented direction so for now the CED is also stalled”
Jerry Brown’s China ace card: NYT reports, China’s push to become a major player in electric cars is already shaking up the global auto industry. California’s governor is hoping it will also give the state an advantage in its continuing showdown with Detroit over battery-powered vehicles. CA Gov. Jerry Brown said on Wednesday evening at an event in San Francisco that China’s electric-car effort would help California withstand demands from American automakers that the state ease back on its effort to put more clean-burning vehicles on the road. https://goo.gl/5Hpahr
China’s tech giants have a second job: Helping Beijing spy on its people: WSJ reports, Tencent and Alibaba are among the firms that assist authorities in hunting down criminal suspects, silencing dissent and creating surveillance cities. Their efforts are part a state campaign to build one of the world’s most ambitious surveillance systems.
さようなら: Japanese Emperor Akihito will abdicate on April 30, 2019, which will end his three-decade reign by passing the throne to his son.
Each nation to fight for itself in 2018: In Asia, US faces challenges, not only from China but also India and Japan.
Nikkei - Ian Bremmer
Australia powers up the world’s biggest battery — courtesy of Elon Musk: NYT reports, the battery is the size of an American football field. It is capable of powering 30,000 homes, and its rapid deployment reflects the union of a blackout-prone state and a flashy entrepreneur, Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors, who pledged to complete its construction in 100 days or do it for free.
AMERICAN POLITICS
White House plans Tillerson ouster from State Department, to be replaced by Pompeo, within weeks: The Trump administration has devised a plan that would replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, the NYT reports. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican and staunch Trump ally, would reportedly replace Pompeo at the CIA.
WSJ: Tillerson, Cohn could leave White House in wave of senior departures
Trump urged GOP leaders to help end Russian inquiry: NYT reports, Trump asked at least three lawmakers last summer if they would put a quick end to the investigation into Russian election meddling, according to several people.
Senate delays vote on GOP tax plan over deficit worries: WSJ reports, Senate Republicans hit a stumbling block in their efforts to overhaul the tax code, forcing them to contemplate rewriting parts of their $1.4 trillion tax-cut plan and push back the vote to as early as Friday.
FT: Republicans’ tax reform drive hit by deficit projections
NYT: Republican tax bill hits snag over deficit concerns
On Thursday, the Joint Committee on Taxation said the measure would add $1 trillion to budget deficits over 10 years.
GE’s successful effort to change GOP tax bill shows lobbying clout: WSJ reports, scores of companies are racing to influence the final form of congressional plan to reshape the nation’s tax laws.
WSJ: For multinationals, the tax bill’s good likely outweighs the bad
ENTERPRISE
Nokia is in talks to acquire Juniper Networks - the deal values Juniper at $16 billion.
WSJ: NASDAQ Plans to Launch Bitcoin Futures in 2018
BOF: Dior, Hermès and Louis Vuitton are 2017's most buzzed-about designers on Instagram
@TheRegister: Badass alert: 1 in 5 Brits don't give a damn about webpage crypto-miners
CVS is closer to a $66 billion-plus agreement to buy Aetna.
WSJ: GM aims for self-driving taxi fleet by 2019
General Motors aims for self-driving taxis by 2019: FT reports, GM is the first carmaker planning to use technology at scale expects profit on rides at $1 a mile.
FT: Uber legal chief warns staff not to spy on rivals
TRENDS
Keeping pace with the changing Chinese consumer: In this month’s BOF China Edit, as Chinese consumer confidence reaches a 10-year high, some trends are worth watching for fashion and beauty brands. https://goo.gl/7d1ivX
Hermès Birkin auctioned for a record US$383,522 in Hong Kong: SCMP reports, world's most expensive handbag ever sold at auction is now this matte white Niloticus crocodile Himalaya Birkin 30, which was auctioned for HK$2.98 million at Christie’s today.
CULTURE
MIT Technology Review's guide to this year’s best holiday gifts https://goo.gl/sxpVfV
The NYT's 10 best books of 2017 https://goo.gl/FZn4dG
The FT's best history books of 2017 https://goo.gl/nUHEvz
The FT's best political books of 2017 https://goo.gl/ycu45V
'Thriller': How Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones made the bestselling album of all time: Rolling Stone reports, maybe it was a sign when the speakers in the studio burst into flames. It was late October 1982, and a full battalion of musicians and technicians were working around the clock at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, putting the finishing touches on Michael Jackson's highly anticipated follow-up to 1979's "Off the Wall," which had established him as a solo superstar. https://goo.gl/P2UZtc
SPORT
Ice Guardians: Exploring one of the most controversial and provocative positions in the history of sport, ‘Ice Guardians’ journeys into the lives of those who perform what is undoubtedly the toughest job within the National Hockey League today, the enforcer. Watch the trailer here: https://goo.gl/kiU7MD
World Cup 2018 draw will begin at 10:00 am ET - the American and Italian teams can sleep in.
Caracal Business Insider | December 1, 2017
