Fortnight.

Marc Ross Daily
October 23, 2018
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Marc Ross Daily  = Business News at the Intersection of Globalization, Disruption, and Politics

What's a Caracal? https://goo.gl/wDfPU6

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TOP FIVE

✔️ Global stock sell-off follows heavy falls in China

✔️ Reflections on American grand strategy in Asia

✔️ Saudis have been a player in the US VC funding market

✔️ Trump’s numbers are up (47%)

✔️ First coast-to-coast World Series in 20 years

ROSS RANT

Never buy a surfboard from a surf shop owner who doesn't surf

"Next time you go shopping, ask yourself if the retailer has the knowledge, the skills, and the language to make you feel like you are a member of the tribe."

http://bit.ly/2S9eRsj 
 

GEOECONOMICS

Global stock sell-off follows heavy falls in China: FT reports, concern at multiple geopolitical risks outweighs optimism on Beijing economic pledges.

China GDP: Beijing is again relying on state-owned enterprises to generate growth.

Trump is giving Xi someone to blame for China's slowing economy: Bloomberg reports, Trump sought to pressure Beijing to open its markets by undermining its economy. Instead, he may be providing Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with the perfect cover story if things get worse. The slowdown -- predicted by the ruling Communist Party and market observers long before Trump’s rise -- has nonetheless fanned anxiety among a population that has grown accustomed to decades of breakneck growth.

The crisis in US-China relations: WSJ reports, the Trump administration has staked out an aggressive position, but its critique of Chinese behavior is widely shared and points to the need for a new American strategy. The critique has three parts. First, there is the view that China has violated the spirit and letter of the World Trade Organization, which it joined in 2001. Second, China’s integration into the world economy has not brought about hoped-for reforms. Third, China’s foreign policy has become more assertive. The most realistic option for the future is to focus on managing the two countries’ major disagreements.

Ash Carter: Reflections on American grand strategy in Asia http://bit.ly/2OIiEhW

Read this. Read this. Read this.

US warships transit Taiwan Strait in defiance of China: WSJ reports, two US warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait, in a maneuver intended to signal to China that the US could travel in any international waters.

WSJ - Editorial: A naval message for China

Two US warships sail through the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan to pitch for more US arms amid China tensions: FT reports, Trump’s hardening stance towards Beijing offers Taipei ‘window of opportunity.’

Bloomberg: The city that had too much moneyhttps://bloom.bg/2OF8jDN

Vancouver was the first place to experience the tidal wave of Chinese cash. Now the city is leading efforts to stop it.

US and European Union officials are set to meet in Washington this week to negotiate on trade.

Rocketman: Trump said the United States will pull out of the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia that eliminated nuclear missiles from Europe, accusing Russia of violating the pact. 

The US Navy sends a carrier back to Russia’s Arctic haunts: Navy Times reports, Navy carrier aviation is back in the Arctic Circle for the first time in nearly 30 years, the latest sign that the Pentagon is looking to flex its muscles during an era of great power competition. 

WSJ: Erdogan says Saudis planned murder of journalist Khashoggi

The Saudis have been a significant player in the US VC funding market.

OTD: In 1707 the first parliament of Great Britain met.

Walter Russell Mead: Trump is no ‘isolationist’: He’s overseeing a risky but ambitious effort to contain global adversaries.

Gideon Rachman: Trump embodies the spirit of our age: Even ultimate failure would not invalidate his claim to be a truly historic president.

Brigadoon Cincinnati | Salon Dinner = November 1, 2018

Mita's Restaurant & Bar

Bryan Goodpaster, Senior Creative Director of Trends & Foresight at LPK, will lead a discussion on the trends and emergent culture shaping commerce and business.

Cost per ticket is $125.00

RSVP here: http://bit.ly/2RCHyO0 

AMERICAN POLITICS

WP: Special counsel examines conflicting accounts as scrutiny of Roger Stone and WikiLeaks deepens

NYT: Trump Intensifies GOP effort to use race and immigration to sway election

Trump’s numbers are up (47%), plus the economy is booming.

A total of 172 veterans won primaries this year and will appear on midterm ballots across the country.

Election 2018 - House: Jim Ellis @ Ellis Insight: "The Dems have accomplished three major objectives that have put them in position to claim the majority. They have recruited strong candidates, many with military service credentials, supported them with record-setting fundraising, and initiated viable competition in an incredible 95 Republican seats."

Early voting points to massive turnout: Fox News reports, early voting numbers show a dramatic increase in voter engagement in this year's midterm elections compared with 2014 totals, and preliminary turnout results in some states are sending Republicans renewed warnings of a so-called "blue wave" just weeks before Election Day.

AFP: From ‘lyin’ to ‘beautiful’: Trump campaigns for Ted Cruz in Texas

USA Today: Poorest states have Republican legislatures, and richest have Democratic ones

- Eighteen of the 19 poorest states have legislatures where both chambers are Republican controlled.

- All five richest states have both legislative chambers controlled by Democrats – Maryland, New Jersey, Hawaii, Massachusetts,and Connecticut. Overall, Democrats dominate the 20 richest states. 

ENTERPRISE

Patagonia doubles down on ‘morality marketing’ with endorsement of 2 senators: The Hustle reports, for the first time in its corporate history, outdoor retailer Patagonia endorsed 2 Senate candidates. The move is unusually political for a for-profit company, but it’s also very ‘on brand.’ 

Patagonia has a mission to “use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

No to weed: Starbucks has no interest in selling cannabis in Canada, where recreational marijuana is now legal. "That's not anything we're considering or pursuing."

FT: UBS warns private banking staff against China travel

Recommendation against trips into country comes after authorities question banker.

Uber aims to go all-electric in London in 2025.

Dyson to make electric cars in Singapore.

WP: Class-action lawsuit accuses e-scooter companies of ‘gross negligence’

I was in Atlanta on Sunday - the city was overrun with scooter-mania. Plan accordingly. Enjoy the ride.

Reuters: Johnson & Johnson makes $2.1 billion offer to buy out Japan cosmetics firm Ci:z 

TRENDS + BUZZ

State of AI in the enterprise: Deloitte released a study of early AI adopters, covering 1,100 senior executives with direct involvement in their companies’ AI investments (only 17% come from traditional tech companies.) http://bit.ly/2OF90Np

- The majority of early adopters—59%—are taking the “easy route” to AI, using enterprise software solutions with AI baked in–like Salesforce’s Einstein. But they recognize they eventually will need more custom solutions to meet their high expectations for AI.

- “Transformation” will take longer than originally thought, as companies learn more about the technology’s vulnerabilities and limitations. Only 56% said AI would transform their companies in the next three years, compared to 76% who said the same in last year’s survey.

- But despite more realistic expectations, AI investment is still on the rise. 88% said they would boost spending on AI in the coming year, and 54% said they would increase spending by 10% or more.

@GallupNews: Americans’ support for legalizing marijuana continues to set new records, with 66% of U.S. adults now in favor of making the drug legal. 

CULTURE

HBD: Ang Lee, film director, Life of Pi (2012), 64

Record $1.6 billion jackpot up for grabs in Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing: Reuters reports, a record-setting $1.6 billion prize that would instantly make a single winner one of the richest people in the world will be up for grabs on Tuesday when the Mega Millions holds its drawing.

SPORT

Fore: Discovery and the PGA Tour announced a new streaming service called GOLFTV.

Bookie: The Baltimore Ravens have become the second NFL team to sign an official partnership with a casino after the team announced a deal with Horseshoe Casino.

@SoccerInsider: Top-selling jerseys on MLS website this season:

1 Ibrahimovic LAG
2 Vela LAFC
3 Martinez ATL
4 Rooney DC
5 Almiron ATL
6 Schweinsteiger CHI
7 Villa NYC
8 Giovinco TFC
9 Dempsey SEA
10 Barco ATL

HBD: Pelé, footballer, Brazil (1957-71), winner of three FIFA world cups (1958, 1962, 1970), 78

World Series:

Red Sox vs Dodgers @ 8:09 pm ET (Game 1)

WSJ: Red Sox, Dodgers prove money still matters in baseball

The first coast-to-coast World Series in 20 years.
 
AP Preseason Basketball Top 10:

1. Kansas
2. Kentucky
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Virginia
6. Tennessee
7. Nevada
8. North Carolina
9. Villanova
10. Michigan State
19. Michigan

The Spartans open the season with the Jayhawks in the Champions Classic on Nov. 6 in Indianapolis