Pakistan, Canada, Philippines, Japan, Venezuela, Netherlands

Marc Ross Daily
March 1, 2019
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Marc Ross Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics

TOP FIVE

✔️ Japan grows nervous about the US

✔️ Russia vows to continue support for Venezuela

✔️ The MBA myth and the cult of the CEO

✔️ This is what peak car looks like

✔️ MA bill would ban tackle football until after seventh grade
 

GLOBALIZATION

WSJ: Pakistan to release captured Indian pilot, easing tensions

Chinese factories: Factory activity in China has been plummeting thanks to falling export orders. The latest PMI figures suggest activity has now contracted for three straight quarters, and is now at a three-year low. 

US readies final China trade deal as hawks urge caution: Bloomberg reports, debate continues in Washington over whether to push Beijing for more concessions.

Reuters: Trump warns he could abandon China trade deal as advisers tout progress

Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou retreats from public eye in Vancouver: FT reports, founder’s daughter is under house arrest awaiting an extradition hearing to the US.

Canada seen approving extradition hearing against Huawei executive: Reuters reports, Canada is likely to announce on Friday that an extradition hearing against a Huawei Technologies Co Ltd executive can proceed, legal experts said, worsening already icy relations with Beijing.

MSCI hands Chinese stocks bigger role in global markets: FT reports, the decision by the index provider could send up to $125bn into the Chinese market.

Reuters: Pompeo says world should have eyes wide open about Chinese tech risks

Pompeo pledges to defend Philippine forces in South China Sea: WSJ reports, the Philippines shelved a planned review of its military alliance with the U.S. in return for a verbal commitment that American forces would defend the country’s vessels in the South China Sea, removing a major irritant between the longstanding partners.

Robert Kaplan: Japan grows nervous about the US: It fears China’s advance, America’s retreat, and South Korea and Taiwan becoming compromised. https://on.wsj.com/2EpHivV

France, Netherlands seek to douse Air France-KLM controversy: DW reports, the French and Dutch finance ministers have met amid tensions over the Netherlands' move to increase its stake in the airline. The share purchase had sparked concerns of a tug of war between the two governments.

Air France-KLM shows Dutch taste for French statism: FT reports, Dutch state stake in airline shows rise of industrial nationalism in EU.

The Times: US aims to include chlorinated chicken in UK trade deal

The United States has indicated that it will push to get food including chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef on to British supermarket shelves under a post-Brexit trade agreement.

AFP: Russia vows to continue support for Venezuela, including with aid

NYT: As Huawei’s influence in Canada grows, some fear spying. Others just want fast internet.

Trudeau’s party is behind him for now after bombshell testimony: Bloomberg reports, the Canadian prime minister plowed ahead Thursday after his former attorney general alleged, in explosive testimony aired on national television, that he interfered in the justice system by pressing to end a criminal case against an iconic Quebec construction firm. Speaking to reporters in Montreal, Trudeau insisted again his government had every right to consider the job losses that could result from a guilty verdict for SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.

This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy official trailer: From the director of The Big Short and Vice and executive producer Will Ferrell comes an 8-part globe-spanning exploration of the most compelling topics impacting the global economy. Through the curious mind of host Kal Penn, see firsthand all the surprising ways the economy interconnects and impacts the lives of people all over the planet. Watch here: https://amzn.to/2ElBYcZ

DISRUPTION

Dan Rasmussen + Haonan Li: The MBA myth and the cult of the CEO: Three decades ago, an influential Harvard Business School professor made the argument that CEO pay should be tied to stock performance. Was he horribly wrong? http://bit.ly/2T8iSkG

"What if the “best and brightest” — those executives with the most dazzling CVs and track records — don’t perform any better than less credentialed executives?"

The Times: Polymaths wanted at London Interdisciplinary School, Britain’s first new university in 40 years

LIS is building a new university that prepares students to tackle the most important and complex problems.

For those who want to shape the world, not just fit in.

Dopamine: Beyond the rush of a reward: The neurotransmitter famously provides the thrill we get from a surprise, a phenomenon known as reward prediction error. But growing evidence suggests the chemical also tracks movement, novelty and other neurobiological factors. http://bit.ly/2T79o9i

The NFL is drafting quarterbacks all wrong: No franchise or GM has shown the ability to beat the draft over time, and economists Cade Massey and Richard Thaler have convincingly shown that the league’s lack of consistent draft success is likely due to overconfidence rather than an efficient market. https://53eig.ht/2TbPyKs

Email message I received from Google: "March 1–2 is National Day of Unplugging. So unwind and take a break from the screen. When you return, check out these apps that boost digital wellbeing."

David Welch + Keith Naughton: This is what peak car looks like: The automobile—once both a badge of success and the most convenient conveyance between points A and B—is falling out of favor in cities around the world as ride-hailing and other new transportation options proliferate and concerns over gridlock and pollution spark a reevaluation of privately owned wheels. Auto sales in the U.S., after four record or near-record years, are declining this year, and analysts say they may never again reach those heights. Worldwide, residents are migrating to megacities—expected to be home to two-thirds of the global population by midcentury—where an automobile can be an expensive inconvenience.

POLITICS

Garrett Graff: 5 key takeaways from Michael Cohen's prepared testimony to Congress http://bit.ly/2T5m9kJ

"The Trump Organization was a small family business—and the campaign was run like one. There were few serious executives or players either not named Trump or, in Jared Kushner’s case, married to one—and in terms of the Trump Organization, perhaps the only two meaningful staffers not named Trump, Cohen, and CFO Allen Weisselberg are both cooperating with investigators. It’s never seemed all that believable that Paul Manafort, Don Jr., and Jared Kushner—three central figures who were with him every day, people who were in constant contact with him and in constant competition for his affection and gratitude—would have hosted a meeting a meeting in Trump Tower, the building where the candidate lived and worked, with Russians promising gifts and not mention it either before, during, or after."

Peggy Noonan: Michael Cohen makes history: There’s no precedent for such an attack on the essential nature of an American president. https://on.wsj.com/2EpHnQf

NYT: Trump ordered officials to give Jared Kushner a security clearance

Trump overruled concerns from intelligence officials and the top White House lawyer about giving his son-in-law access to sensitive information, four people briefed on the matter said.

Democrats vow to investigate White House security clearances: FT reports, top lawmakers show concern over report of Trump intervention for son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Holman Jenkins: The media will re-elect Trump: They would rather believe tall tales about Russia than hear what voters said in 2016. https://on.wsj.com/2ElznzQ

LAT: Democrats, facing a big candidate field, ask: Who is most electable over Trump?

Election 2020: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee enters 2020 presidential race

Jay Inslee is a fourth tier candidate.

Election 2020: Crystal Ball Electoral College ratings:

-- Crystal Ball's initial Electoral College ratings reflect a 2020 presidential election that starts as a Toss-up.

-- Crystal Ball starts with 248 electoral votes at least leaning Republican, 244 at least leaning Democratic, and 46 votes in the Toss-up category.

-- The omissions from the initial Toss-up category that readers may find most surprising are Florida and Michigan.

-- Much of the electoral map is easy to allocate far in advance: About 70% of the total electoral votes come from states and districts that have voted for the same party in at least the last five presidential elections.

OTD: In 1872 Yellowstone, America’s first national park, was established to protect 2.2 million acres in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

COMMERCE

Walt Disney Co. is in active discussions with AT&T Inc. to acquire the 10 percent stake in Hulu that is currently controlled by WarnerMedia.

AMC Theatres' Stubs A-List program, the subscription service that allows customers to see three movies a week for $19.95 a month, has hit 700,000 subscribers.

Luckin Coffee, which has ambitions to overtake Starbucks in China this year, has tapped three banks including Credit Suisse to work on a US IPO, Reuters reports. The Beijing-based startup, which is targeting a valuation of about $3B, opened over 2,000 cafes last year and aims to launch 2,500 new outlets in 2019. Luckin is said to have chosen New York for the listing, as Hong Kong generally requires IPO applicants to have a track record of three financial years.

Gap said it plans to split itself into two independent publicly traded companies, one unnamed company consisting of the iconic Gap brand and Old Navy.

Tesla said it would begin shutting stores and move to selling vehicles only over the internet.

Tesla cuts price on Model 3 again to $35,000.

Royole displays flexible approach to foldable phones: NIkkei reports, startup takes on Samsung, Huawei with home-grown technology.

HBO Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Plepler is stepping down in the wake of new owner AT&T seeking to put its own stamp on the premium cable channel. 

Come back to Queens: Open letter to Bezos from:

- Ajay Banga
- Ken Chenault
- James Gorman 
- Robin Hayes
- Joey Levin 
- Bill McDermott 
- Robert Rubin 
- Fred Wilson 
(and many more) 

To reverse the decision to pull New York campus. This full-page letter to run today in the NYT. 

See it here: https://buff.ly/2Vre1I3

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who was staggered by Amazon’s decision to pull out of its plans to come to New York City, is working intensely behind the scenes to lure the company back, even connecting with Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, to make a personal pitch. 

CULTURE

Back to the water: After "Aquaman" smashed the box office last year with over $1 billion worldwide, a sequel was inevitable. On Wednesday, the studio Warner Bros. set its release date for December 16, 2022.

5 tips to starting a daily creative practicehttps://buff.ly/2sOfxaT 

SPORT

The truth according to Zlatan: ‘I’m not an act,’ the Los Angeles Galaxy’s star striker declares as he begins his second season in Major League Soccer. ‘I am the real deal.’ https://nyti.ms/2EqelQs

He was absolutely not joking when, upon signing with the Galaxy last March, he bought a full-page advertisement in The Los Angeles Times.

“Dear Los Angeles,” it read. “You’re welcome.”

How FC Barcelona are preparing for the future of football: FT reports, science and sport intersect in the Catalan giant’s new ‘innovation hub.’ https://on.ft.com/2Enbyrf

Bryce Harper signs $330 million deal with Phillies.

Ross Rant Flashback: The Nats don't play in baseball town:

"the city is waking up to another Nats season cut short and not matching expectations. In a town full of type A personalities and high school class presidents, victory and success are deemed a birthright."

https://buff.ly/2H6dWpn

Massachusetts bill would ban tackle football until after seventh grade:  NYT reports, the bill, which moved to the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health this week, follows attempts by legislators in five other states who have tried — but failed — to pass similar measures to protect growing brains from traumatic injury. The bipartisan bill, known as No Hits, would impose financial penalties for any school league or other entity that does not comply.


Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc