What do you mean I'm funny?

Marc Ross Daily
September 26, 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

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TOP FIVE

✔️ Trump faces laughter at UN

✔️ NAFTA’s fate hinges on a four-letter word: Milk

✔️ Democrats poised for major gains in midterm

✔️ OpenTable is looking to leverage its scale and experience

✔️ HBD: Serena Williams

ROSS RANT

You've got to win the politics to set the policy to ensure profits.
 

GEOECONOMICS

Bloomberg: Trump faces laughter at UN, then unleashes global grievance list

@politico: Trump bragged about his presidency and world leaders laughed

NYT: Trump boasts of achievements and scorns globalism in UN speech

Trump, speaking before the General Assembly, doubled down on his “America First” foreign policy.

But when he spoke of his accomplishments, the crowd broke into murmurs and laughter, a jarring moment for a leader who usually speaks to adoring crowds.

‘People actually laughed at a president’: At US, Trump suffers fate he always feared: WP reports, the president had long accused American leaders of being taken advantage of by foreign counterparts. But on Tuesday, he was the one who suffered the indignity.

FT: Donald Trump tells UN that OPEC is ‘ripping off’ the world

Not the comms outcome I think the White House envisioned, but I could be wrong.

Welcome to the Festivus presidency .......

@ianbremmer: Trump focus on sovereignty, Monroe Doctrine and non-interference in domestic affairs of other countries is not actually US policy.  But it is what China wants from the post-American world order.

Brazil: The far-right candidate in Brazil's presidential election who was almost stabbed to death at the start of the month expects to leave hospital next week and rejoin the campaign.

FT: Brazil election: top contenders from left to far-right. Who’s who in the country’s most unpredictable presidential race in years. https://on.ft.com/2MXhfi1

Brazil is boosting soybean production to take advantage of China's tariffs on the US.

4: Just four countries -- Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, and Colombia-- account for nearly a quarter of all murders around the world every year. 

#MurderAmerica

WSJ: NAFTA could go ahead without Canada, US official says 

NAFTA’s fate hinges on a four-letter word: Milk: NYT reports, Canada’s dairy protections have become a key sticking point in Nafta talks and a potential roadblock to a trilateral deal with the United States and Mexico.

In Mexico's shale patch, cartel violence scares off drillers: Reuters reports, the oil and gas fracking boom has lured scores of drillers to the Eagle Ford region of South Texas, the second largest U.S. oil patch, as new production technology opened access to billions more barrels.

China: Hong Kong has banned a political party for the first time since Britain handed back its former colony to Chinese rule in 1997. The order to ban the Hong Kong National Party is effective immediately.

Caixin: China blasts 'protectionist' US in lengthy white paper

Policy document aims to clarify Beijing strong opposition to US tariffs.

@dealbook: The worsening trade war between the United States and China has intensified pressure on companies to leave China and set up factories in places like Cambodia.

FT: China state groups gobble up private companies

Growing trend of nationalization sparks warnings of risk to economic vitality.

Trump's Asian tech tycoon pals feel strains of trade war: Nikkei reports, US confrontation with China rattles plans of SoftBank, Foxconn, and Alibaba.

ADB trims Asia's 2019 growth forecast over US-China trade war.

David Fickling: China’s claims on trade with US don’t add up: Beijing says its current relationship with the US plays to comparative strengths, but the future is another matter. https://bloom.bg/2NJoZJC

Mattis looks for 'way ahead' after China scraps military talks: VOA reports, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday he was seeking a way ahead for military ties with China after Beijing postponed military talks in protest at last week's U.S. decision to impose sanctions over China's purchase of Russian weaponry. 

US reaffirms Asia-Pacific naval focus: IHS Jane’s 360 reports, the United States is continuing to make the Asia Pacific – expanded by the Pentagon to include the Indo-Asia Pacific – the naval priority, even as the US Navy resurrects forces to address growing Russian concerns across the Atlantic Ocean. 

@AP: BREAKING: Federal prosecutors say a Chinese citizen in Chicago has been arrested for spying on US engineers and scientists, including defense contractors, on behalf of the Chinese government.

Ji Chaoqun, 27, is charged with one count of knowingly acting in the US as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification of the attorney general, a statement from the US attorney's office in Chicago said. He allegedly worked at the direction of high-ranking intelligence officials with the People’s Republic of China and was given the task of providing information about eight people for possible recruitment.

There was no answer at a number for the Chinese consulate in Chicago on Tuesday evening.

Mongolia: The currency (togrog) is tumbling amid higher imports.

Maldives vote seen as rebuff to belt and road: Caixin reports, president's surprise election defeat reflects concerns that country was becoming too dependent on China.

OTD: In 1907 New Zealand became a dominion

Bolton: US troops staying in Syria until Iran leaves: Defense News reports, the U.S. will keep a military presence in Syria until Iran withdraws its forces, a top Trump administration official said Monday. 

Reuters: Iran says Trump should stop interfering in MiddleEast if he wants cheap oil

France: Emmanuel Macron's approval ratings continue to sink. 

AFP: Macron makes multilateralist appeal at UN in rebuttal to Trump's isolationism

Ireland: The economy continues to outperform the rest of the Eurozone.

Poland: Unemployment rate hit the lowest level in at least a couple of decades.
 
Has anyone seen Roman Abramovich? The last days of Londongrad: Bloomberg reports, the Russian billionaire has avoided Britain for months and is preparing his finances to skirt the threat of American sanctions.

UK: Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party leader, gives his keynote speech on the closing day of the annual party conference in Liverpool.

Britain has recorded Europe’s biggest fall in teenage drinking, with regular alcohol use down 80 percent since 2002, according to research by the World Health Organisation. 

FT: Chequers plan would spell ‘end of Europe’, says Le Maire

French minister warns EU cannot support blueprint that would weaken bloc.

Brigadoon Detroit | Salon Dinner = October 11, 2018

Dinner will be held at The Apparatus Room @ Detroit Foundation Hotel with a discussion on the creation of new urban mobility solutions as well as mobility trends seen globally.

More info here: http://bit.ly/2MEXICM

AMERICAN POLITICS

Under pressure, GOP speeds up vote to confirm Kavanaugh: WSJ reports, the Senate Republican leadership is moving to expedite the final stages of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court after Thursday’s planned hearing featuring the woman who has accused him of sexual assault when they were teenagers

Today: Trump chairs the UN Security Council briefing on "counter-proliferation." 

WSJ: Federal reserve readies third rate increase of 2018

15 of 17 candidates: Fifteen of the 17 candidates Trump has endorsed in open Republican primaries for the House, Senate or governorships won their races.

Election 2018: A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll found enthusiasm among Democrats is soaring ahead of elections on Nov. 6 that will determine whether Republicans maintain control over the US Congress.

FYI - voter enthusiasm is my favorite election metric. Either you vote or you don't vote. Pretty simple GOTV strategy.

With growing support from women, Democrats poised for major gains in the midterm, new poll shows: LAT reports, boosted by growing support among women living in suburban areas and by widespread antipathy toward Trump, Democrats are poised to make major gains in November's midterm election, a new USC Dornsife-Los Angeles Times poll shows.

CEO’s confident about the economy but fear effects of Trump’s trade war: CEOs are confident about economic prospects but fear the uncertainty created by the Trump administration’s trade war, Axios reports. The 141 CEOs surveyed in the Business Roundtable’s most recent economic outlook survey anticipate 2.8 percent GDP growth for 2018, up from the 2.7 percent estimate last quarter, though more than half fear that tariffs on Chinese goods will have a negative effect on capital investment decisions. The CEO’s economic outlook index declined slightly from the second quarter but is still the 5th highest in its 16-year history. Eighty-seven percent of CEOs surveyed expect their company sales to increase within the next 6 months, a slight increase from the last quarter.

Business Roundtable said almost two-thirds of US chief executives were cutting back on investment or hiring as a result of Trump's trade taxes. 

Amazing: This Election 2018 campaign ad is simply amazing. Six siblings tell voters to not vote for their brother. Watch it here: http://bit.ly/2N2erA6

ENTERPRISE

OpenTable is looking to leverage its scale and experience in restaurants to become a data-fueled recommendation engine for diners and a source of quality intelligence for restaurant operators.

They work with 47,000 restaurants and seat 26 million diners per month.

They charge restaurants $249 per month, plus $1 for every seat booked on OpenTable and $0.25 for every booking through the company’s own website. 

Walmart patent aims to use biometric shopping handles to track customers' heart rates, temperatures, and stress levels.

Big Data > Big Oil

Dunkin' Donuts officially changes it branding to just ... Dunkin'

"Updated branding is one more step in company’s journey to transform into beverage-led, on-the-go brand"

General Electric stock fell to a nine-year low as investors continued to worry about a recent gas turbine failure in Texas.

FT: Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche to step down

Recode: Uber drivers and other gig economy workers are earning half what they did five years ago

Bloomberg: Starbucks plans ‘significant changes’ to company's structure

Starbucks is planning an organizational shake-up, including corporate layoffs that will start at top levels, as the coffee chain tries to reverse stagnant sales and rekindle investors’ interest.

IKEA will put its vegetarian hot dog on the menu at all US stores.

Arby's is going to buy Sonic for $2.3 billion.

Walmart to require blockchain tracking of leafy greens: Walmart and Sam's Club will require that its suppliers of leafy green vegetables use blockchain technology from IBM to allow it to track shipments by Sept. 30, 2019, for safety reasons. 

CNN Money: The newest influencer on Instagram is ... Goldman Sachs?

The investment bank's official account will feature content designed to endear the Goldman brand to a new generation.

Hulu vs. Netflix:

Hulu reported 20 million US subscribers in May, compared with 58 million for Netflix at its latest quarter-end. 

Netflix also has 77 million international subscribers; Hulu has yet to venture abroad. 

CBS named Richard Parsons, a former Time Warner chief, as its interim chairman following the ouster of Les Moonves.

FT: SurveyMonkey takes valuation hit ahead of IPO

Survey group priced at 40% below the $2 billion appraisal it hit in fundraising 4 years ago. 

TRENDS + BUZZ

How meditation can make you more creativehttp://bit.ly/2N4G5g5

I prefer loud EDM to spur creativity or a good walk or skiing down a steep hill.

The internet will be split in two by 2028, former Google CEO predicts: China and the US could lead two different versions of the internet in future.

I said this four years ago.

Intranet = China
Internet = USA

Straws: Caesars, like other Vegas resort operators, begins saying goodbye to single-use plastic straws.

It's all about wellness: CB Insights reports, the $3.7 trillion global wellness economy is exploding, and it's not just affecting food and personal care. Wellness is transforming everything from how gyms operate to the way retailers design clothing to how smart cities are designed. 

Vampire facials: The treatment involves taking the client’s blood and reinjecting the plasma back into their face. Yes, this is happening.

WEF: The future of jobs 2018 http://bit.ly/2N4UOY4

As technological breakthroughs rapidly shift the frontier between the work tasks performed by humans and those performed by machines and algorithms, global labor markets are likely to undergo major transformations. 

CULTURE

Scrabble dictionary adds ‘OK,’ ‘ew’ to official play: AP reports, Scrabble players, time to rethink your game because 300 new words are coming your way, including some long-awaited gems: OK and ew, to name a few. http://bit.ly/2MY0VO0

AP: $18 million worth of cocaine found in bananas given to Texas prison

LAT: Armed with only a martini and a long memory, former Vegas mayor talks mobsters, 'rats' and Trumphttps://lat.ms/2N1FPhD

SPORT

Soccer: Manchester United are beaten on penalties by Derby and are out of the Carabao Cup. Derby County beat Manchester United 8-7 in a dramatic penalty shootout to settle a pulsating Carabao Cup tie at Old Trafford and send the Championship club through to the fourth round.

Telegraph: Jose Mourinho left stunned as Derby send Man Utd crashing out of Carabao Cup on penalties at Old Trafford

Man U are in full meltdown and we are still in September. Fortunately, I am a Juventus fan.

Tom Fordyce: Tiger Woods comeback: A tale of implausible redemption it is hard to resist https://bbc.in/2N2zDWz

Lacrosse's biggest star is starting a new outdoor league: Bloomberg reports, lacrosse star Paul Rabil is starting a new outdoor league with a group of sports and media investors led by the Raine Group, setting up a battle with the existing league to secure the best players, according to people familiar with the matter. The six-team Premier Lacrosse League, or PLL, will begin to play next summer, according to the people, who requested anonymity because contracts with players, broadcast partners and venues aren’t complete. The league has secured the participation of a number of well-known players, including those on Team USA and Canada, they said.

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association identifies 2.17 million lacrosse participants in the US, an increase of 35 percent from 2012. Moreover, 57 percent of them have an annual household income of at least $75,000, making the group attractive to advertisers.

HBD: Serena Williams, seven-time Wimbledon women’s singles champion, 37