Jerusalem, Naples, China, Putin, Volkswagen, Ford, Champions League

Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 7, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Caracal Business Insider = Global Business News at the Intersection of Politics + Policy + Profits.

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia

GEOECONOMICS

WSJ: Trump’s Israel move launches uncertain chapter for Mideast

FT - Editorial: Trump’s dangerous decision on Jerusalem: Recognising the holy city as Israel’s capital is a senseless provocation.

Nikkei: Asia's Muslim leaders slam Trump's decision on Jerusalem

Indonesian foreign minister vows to stand 'with the Palestinian people'

NAFTA: CBS News reports, Mexican Ambassador to the US Geronimo Gutierrez says odds are "now about 50-50" that NAFTA will be terminated.

Trump worries Germans more than Kim Jong-un: The Times reports, Germans believe that Trump is a bigger challenge than Russia, Turkey or North Korea, a survey has revealed as the country's foreign minister urged a more assertive stance towards the US president.

"Only 43 percent of Germans viewed Washington as one of Berlin’s two most important foreign partners, down from 60 percent a year ago."

Naples' pizza twirling wins UNESCO ‘intangible’ status: Guardian reports, the traditional art of pizzaiuolo, handed down for generations in southern Italian city, secures coveted world heritage honor.

British PM voices confidence on Brexit trade deal: AFP reports, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday voiced confidence in striking a deal that would allow Britain to open negotiations on post-Brexit trade ties with the EU despite this week's setback.

@Ed_Miliband: What an absolutely ludicrous, incompetent, absurd, make it up as you go along, couldn’t run a piss up in a brewery bunch of jokers there are running the government at the most critical time in a generation for the country.

IndyRef2: The Scottish National Party would trigger a second independence referendum if Scotland were pulled out of the EU customs union and single market against its will.

US firms losing confidence in China business climate: AP reports, US companies in China are seeing their sales improve but are frustrated by policies and regulatory barriers that block better access to the country's lucrative market, according to a survey released Wednesday. The US-China Business Council's survey showed most companies are enjoying better profitability and expecting higher revenues for their China operations as the economy revives. But restricted market access and uncertainty over Beijing's policies toward foreign companies have left them less optimistic about the business climate than in recent years.

What American corporations really think about China: Ken Kapoza in Forbes reports, the number one concern among American multinationals doing business in China is increased competition from the Chinese. Ninety-five percent of companies that participated in a recent survey of U.S. multinationals in China said most of their competitors are local, of which 68% are state-owned. According to the annual member survey by the US-China Business Council.

IMF warns on brewing risks in China's financial system: AFP reports, the International Monetary Fund on Thursday warned of brewing risks in China's banking system as it found dozens of crucial lenders needed to beef up their protection against possible financial crises.

QOTD: “Truth is China stopped being the low labor cost country years ago. That is not the reason to come to China ... the reason is because of the skill.” — Apple CEO Tim Cook

Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive mimics a Ming obsession: FT reports, the absence of reform in China would scupper the success of the president’s campaign.

Australia warned over ‘siding against’ China in security group: SCMP reports, a former Australian foreign minister has warned over his country siding against China in a security grouping with the United States, India and Japan. 

US should disinvite China to RIMPAC naval exercises: The invitation is perplexing, given China's stated objective of displacing the United States in Asia and its demonstrated willingness to bring this about. 
Asia Times - Grant Newsham

Three less understood aspects of Chinese investment in America
Macro Polo - Joy Dantong Ma

Japan eyes air-to-surface missiles that would put North Korea in range: Nikkei reports, Japan looks to deploy its first air-to-surface missiles in the coming years as a means of deterring North Korea from further weapons testing, bringing Pyongyang's missile bases within Tokyo's military reach. 

North Korea threat makes US Olympic participation an ‘open question,’ Nikki Haley says: WP reports, the UN ambassador did not confirm that it was a “done deal” the US government would recommend that its athletes compete in PyeongChang amid rising tensions in the region.

What does she know that we don't know?!?

Russia's Putin to seek re-election in 2018: AFP reports, President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday he would seek re-election in March 2018, a contest opinion polls show he will win comfortably, setting the stage for him to extend his dominance of Russia’s political landscape into the third decade.

@AP: BREAKING: Vladimir Putin declares his intention to seek re-election as Russian president.

Putin is amazing. On the same day, he announced his re-election campaign he also announced his election victory.

FP: In return to Cold War posture, US sending sub hunting planes to Iceland

AMERICAN POLITICS

Franken: More than 30 of Al Franken’s Democratic colleagues urged him to quit the Senate. Minnesota Public Radio reports Franken will resign in a Senate floor speech.

US Navy unveils a new slogan = “Forged by the Sea” 

How the Kremlin tried to pose as American news sites on Twitter: AdAge reports, Kremlin-backed Russian Internet Research Agency operated dozens of Twitter accounts masquerading as local American news sources that collectively garnered more than half-a-million followers. More than 100 news outlets also published stories containing those handles in the run-up to the election, and some of them were even tweeted by a top presidential aide. 
https://goo.gl/vNuF1c

As wildfires scorch Southern California, officials warn that more blazes could erupt in coming days: WP reports, Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties after fires forced tens of thousands to escape, destroying hundreds of structures and emptying homes, hospitals, schools and multimillion-dollar mansions alike.

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Marc A. Ross of Caracal Global 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

Cheap tech boom: A new wave of decent, but dirt-cheap, gadgets is about to flood the market—and you can thank Amazon for their creation. https://goo.gl/TzTFFR

Wall Street banks push back on bitcoin futures plan: FT reports, draft letter to US regulators says financial system ill-prepared for cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin topped $15,000 for the first time Thursday rising more than 40% in the past week alone. 

General Electric’s power division said it was cutting 12,000 jobs as part of its efforts to reduce structural costs by $1 billion next year.

Volkswagen official gets a 7-year term in diesel-emissions cheating: NYT reports, the sentencing of Oliver Schmidt, a former Volkswagen manager in Michigan, was the latest turn in a vast scandal that has tarnished the company’s reputation and has cost the carmaker more than $20 billion in fines and settlements. The sentence, including a fine of $400,000, was imposed by Judge Sean F. Cox in Federal District Court in Detroit four months after Mr. Schmidt, 48, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the federal government and to violating the Clean Air Act. The sentence was in line with the prosecution’s recommendation.

CNBC: Ford betting 'very heavily' China will dominate the electric vehicle market

NYT: China will lead an electric car future, Ford’s chairman says

Bozoma Saint John: can marketing guru restore Uber’s image? https://goo.gl/ZxoRx1

FT: Chinese bike-sharing start-up Ofo raises $1 billion

TRENDS

Tencent says there are only 300,000 AI engineers worldwide, but millions are needed: The Verge reports, a new report from the Chinese tech giant attempts to put a number on the AI talent shortfall. https://goo.gl/dnmuy9

How Google's crowdsourced GPS app is succeeding as 'the only screen in the car': If you don't drive to work, you probably haven't heard of it - but GPS app Waze is proving indispensable for users and a lucrative new channel for brands.
Campaign - Simon Gwynn

World’s first modular stadium to host 2022 World Cup: Matches in the 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place in a stadium designed to be taken apart and reconstructed elsewhere in a new configuration. https://goo.gl/vuMxaa

POTD

POTD: Shake Shack, disruption, and leadership: Brian Koppelman, on The Moment podcast, interviews Danny Meyer, a New York City restaurateur and the Chief Executive Officer of the Union Square Hospitality Group https://goo.gl/sM2RVN

SPORT

UEFA Champions League draw - round of 16:

Barcelona*
Basel
Bayern München
Beşiktaş*
Chelsea
Juventus
Liverpool*
Manchester City*
Manchester United*
Paris Saint-Germain*
Porto
Real Madrid
Roma*
Sevilla
Shakhtar Donetsk
Tottenham Hotspur*

(*group winners)

The UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw will take place at 6:00 am ET on Monday, December 11.