Catalonia, 'Cold War mentality', Dick Enberg, Russia-UK, Boeing
Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 22, 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
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year - See you next on January 8, 2018
What Caracal Global is watching today:
✔️ Catalonia election + separatists keep majority
✔️ China condemns US 'Cold War mentality'
✔️ Russia-UK relations at 'a very low point'
✔️ Boeing is seeking to buy the Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer
GEOECONOMICS
CNBC: Spain's political crisis is 'back to square one' after Catalonia election
In a blow to Spanish unity, Catalan separatists keep the majority in regional vote: NYT reports, separatist parties won a narrow majority in Catalonia after the Spanish government called the election in an attempt to resolve the constitutional crisis.
Catalonia results: Parties seeking to secede from Spain narrowly won a snap election. The separatists won about 47 percent of the votes but secured 70 of the 135 seats in the regional Parliament, a narrow majority.
Guardian: A slap in the face’ for Madrid: Puigdemont hails Catalonia election win
Catalans really, and still, want to be free, while at the same time, Catalan's independence is less than clear and easy.
How I almost became a Chinese spy – reflections on China's age of anxiety
Financial Review - Angus Grigg
"The idea that China Correspondents Lisa Murray and Angus Grigg were merely journalists, chasing stories and looking to generate clicks seemed implausible to their Chinese minders."
An excellent read to grasp how the Chinese Communist Party seeks to control and gather information.
BBC: China condemns US 'Cold War mentality' on national security
CNBC: China to USA: 'Stop deliberately distorting' our global strategy
#EvergreenTalkingPoint
Boris Johnson faces cold reception on Russia trip: FT reports, relations at ‘zero-level’ for first visit by foreign secretary in five years.
CNN: Russia-UK relations at 'a very low point' - Lavrov
Theresa May says she wants to see a female James Bond.
Cuba: Raúl Castro will step down as president in April.
QOTD: “I didn’t want this job. I didn’t seek this job… My wife told me I’m supposed to do this.” – US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
NEXT CHINA
Make plans to attend the NEXT CHINA conference hosted by SupChina.
The event will be held on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, at The Times Center in New York City.
The conference will have five sessions covering Technology, Economy, Healthcare, Politics, and Philanthropy, followed by a live Sinica Podcast recording on “Cracking the China Conundrum."
RSVP for the NEXT China conference here:
https://goo.gl/5UZUhr
Use code HOLIDAY for a $300 ticket.
AMERICAN POLITICS
Dispute over political strategy erupts inside the White House: NYT reports, an Oval Office meeting involving President Trump and his top advisers on Wednesday devolved into a heated exchange between his former campaign manager and the White House political director, people briefed on the discussion said.
FNC: Trump deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn to step down
Republicans warn Trump of 2018 bloodbath: Politico reports, the White House knows the midterm election will probably be bad. Behind the scenes, top aides are scrambling to avoid the worst.
Republicans plan mega marketing push to sell unpopular tax plan: Politico reports, 'When [voters] start to see what happens to their paychecks,' said one conservative, 'they will change their minds.'
US government funding has been extended until January 19.
Bots will sway an election near you: Bloomberg reports, the key to political victory may lie in code. Automated software, known as bots, can fire out non-stop social media messages backing a particular candidate or campaign. The phenomenon goes beyond Russian-linked Facebook accounts aiming to influence foreign elections. Researchers in the and US found Twitter bots weighing in on Brexit and the US vote.
“I have power”: Is Steve Bannon running for President?Vanity Fair reports, on a whirlwind tour around the globe, Trump’s former aide and alter ego reveals what really went down in the White House, his unfettered thoughts on Javanka, his complicated relationship with his erstwhile boss—and his own political ambitions. https://goo.gl/fkvonf
ENTERPRISE
Boeing is seeking to buy the Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer to try to gain a bigger foothold in the regional jet market.
Eric Schmidt steps down as executive chairman of Google's parent, Alphabet.
269 billion = The number emails sent and received daily
NYT: Apple is the most valuable public company
ever https://goo.gl/PX5VWt
Bloomberg's the year in money: Market highs, a venture capital boom, and record-low unemployment were just some of the defining moments for investors in 2017. https://goo.gl/nWhCMC
Bloomberg: Long Island Iced Tea soars after changing its name to Long Blockchain
$19,511 = Bitcoin Sunday
$13,577 = Bitcoin Friday
Facebook signed a deal with Universal Music Group that lets its platforms carry songs from the music label’s artists.
Qualcomm has gotten a permit to test self-driving cars on public roads in California.
Daimler buys France’s alternative to Uber: FT reports, the deal for Chauffeur Privé shows German group seeking to attract vehicle-less consumers.
Volvo, Cadillac, and Porsche drive subscription model growth: FT reports, carmakers are launching rental services even as peer-to-peer car lending platforms gain traction.
CULTURE
RIP: Dick Enberg, award-winning US sports broadcaster, dies at 82
#OhMy!
AP Poll: Sexual misconduct allegations voted top news story
Guardian's best albums of 2017 https://goo.gl/QQz5Pe
Guadian's top 50 films of 2017 https://goo.gl/wdLH7i
SPORT
In an unforgiving sport, they minister to hearts and souls: NYT reports, a chaplain is part of the team for about three-quarters of England’s professional teams, offering spiritual or secular counseling to the players. https://goo.gl/tJoXeZ
Figure skating in Detroit is aiming to change the color of the sport: The Undefeated reports, this girls-only program uses figure skating to build self-esteem and academic achievement. https://goo.gl/BNybhm
5 things to know about the 2018 Winter Olympicshttps://goo.gl/sHfhbQ
WP: Florida State may not be eligible but is still expected to play in Independence Bowl
FOX College Football: Way (WAY) Too Early Top 10 for 2018
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Michigan
4. Miami
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia
7. Oklahoma
8. USC
9. Stanford
10. MSU
Caracal Business Insider | December 20, 2017
Australia, China, Catalonia, Italy, Move Here Move the World, Tax Reform, Uber, colette, Kobe
Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 20, 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
What Caracal Global is watching today:
✔️ China v India
✔️ China v Australia
✔️ Catalonia votes again
✔️ Detroit's Amazon HQ2 bid revealed
✔️ colette, ‘trendiest store in the world’, bids adieu
GEOECONOMICS
India is unequal: The top 10% in India take home 55% of the country’s income.
China has India surrounded in their new Great Game: Nikkei reports, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan -- Beijing is pulling South Asia into its orbit. https://goo.gl/YsdDS8
Japan is building missile bases to confront rising threat from China: WSJ reports, Japan’s military is laying the groundwork for batteries of anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles in a quiet, sugar-cane-filled valley in its southwestern island chain, as it girds to confront what Tokyo views as its greatest long-term threat: China.
ABC: China's embassy in Canberra issues safety warning for Chinese nationals in Australia
China's embassy in Canberra has taken the rare step of issuing a public safety warning for Chinese students living in Australia due to "a rising number of insulting incidents".
NYT: Espionage bills in Australia stir fears of anti-Chinese backlash
"The Chinese government has been using proxies in Australia for years to polish its image and press for its priorities, including reunification with Taiwan and sovereignty over the South China Sea. These efforts have intensified under President Xi Jinping, who seems to view Australia — which has benefited greatly from trade with China — as a laboratory for efforts to sway opinion abroad and increase China’s global influence."
Twelve days in Xinjiang: How China’s surveillance state overwhelms daily life: WSJ reports, China’s government has turned the northwestern region into a laboratory for high-tech social controls. Citizens and visitors must run a daily gantlet of police checkpoints, surveillance cameras and machines scanning their ID cards, faces, eyeballs and sometimes entire bodies.
North Korean cyberheists fan fears amid bitcoin frenzy: Nikkei reports, US points to Pyongyang as the culprit behind WannaCry attacks.
Reuters: South Korean cryptocurrency exchange to file for bankruptcy after hacking
LAT: Spain's Catalonia region is set to pick a new parliament Thursday amid ongoing independence fight
Catalonia votes again, this time in a gamble to stall its secessionists: NYT reports, after Catalonia declared independence two months ago, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain took extraordinary control of the region and called elections, gambling that voters would punish the separatists who had propelled the nation’s worst constitutional crisis in decades. That election now comes Thursday, but far from solving the conflict, it could just as easily complicate the task of governing the first of Spain’s 19 regions to have its autonomy stripped, placing the country in uncharted political terrain.
Catalonia in turmoil: Bloomberg reports, while Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sought to halt political chaos in Catalonia by forcing a snap election, the result of Thursday’s vote there may kick off a new phase of upheaval. With no clear winner and mutual resentment increasing, separatists from Edinburgh to Venice are watching closely.
Madrid believes Catalonia independence threat is over: FT reports, the Spanish national government still faces enormous difficulties in the region, analysts say.
Norway is to become the first Scandinavian country to decriminalize drugs as it focuses on treatment rather than punishment.
2020: The EU expects the U.K.’s post-Brexit transition period to last until the end of 2020 and is aiming for a trade deal to kick in immediately after that, according to a European Commission official.
Reuters: Full Brexit in Jan. 2021 as EU sets transition deadline
The EU wants a transition period after Brexit to end no later than the last day of 2020, according to the European Commission's negotiating directives agreed on Wednesday.
The Times: Theresa May plans new Brexit speech as ministers urge her to aim high
Trump's London visit still uncertain after call with May as tensions continue: Guardian reports, Theresa May spoke to Donald Trump on Tuesday about their country’s very different positions on Jerusalem, but it was left unclear whether previous damage to the relationship had been repaired – or whether the president would visit London in February to open the new US embassy.
The Daily Mail is reporting Trump plans to visit Britain in February to open the new US embassy in London but will not meet Queen Elizabeth.
Donald Trump’s first visit to UK ‘to be announced soon’: The Times reports, details of Trump’s first official visit to the UK will be announced soon, the White House has said. The statement from the US president’s office will strengthen expectations that Mr Trump will dedicate the new US Embassy in London in February. The “working visit”, which is not expected to include a meeting with the Queen, was proposed after controversy around the UK’s offer of a state visit in January.
How Italy turned Euroskeptic
Politico - Naomi O'Leary
"(New voters are) a member of an Italian generation that has known only economic stagnation, and which will head to the ballot box for the first time in a general election next spring. They were born around the same time as the euro — 1999 — and are now old enough to vote. They’ve seen nothing but political and economic crises since their childhoods, and politicians apparently unable to fix them."
Italy's share of world GDP (PPP):
1987: 4.28%
1997: 3.39%
2007: 2.64%
2017: 1.82%
Russia: say 2018, think 2024: To divert attention from growing economic frustrations, Putin in the coming six years must maintain popular belief in the “siege mentality” narrative – the idea of a salient threat from the West that seeks to destabilize Russia’s national security at any moment.
Control Risks - Emily Ferris
Canadian executives push Trudeau to join new US-free Trans-Pacific Partnership: BNN reports, more than a dozen top business leaders are telling Justin Trudeau it's time for Canada to immediately join the revamped Trans-Pacific Partnership that no longer includes the United States. An open letter to the prime minister from 18 chief executives comes after last month's decision by Canada to withhold support from what appeared to be a breakthrough agreement by the 11 remaining TPP countries to sign a newly-configured version of the Pacific Rim trade pact.
Globe and Mail: Ottawa to more than triple cannabis licenses to boost production
Trump is a gift to Trudeau. He makes Trudeau look good: Trump may be a blight on his country and a bane to civilized behavior, but for Trudeau, he could prove to be a considerable asset when the next election comes.
National Post - Kelly McParland
AMERICAN POLITICS
WSJ: GOP nears tax victory as bill passes in Senate
LAT: Congress prepares to deliver Trump's top legislative priority as Senate approves tax bill
The Senate passed the tax-overhaul bill, 51-48, putting Congress on the cusp of passing a $1.5 trillion tax cut and the largest structural overhaul of the tax system since 1986.
Trump hosting an all-cabinet meeting today at 11:30 am ET
The measure will return to the House for a final vote on this morning followed by a White House presser expected around 1:00 pm ET.
This is the best day of the Trump administration so far - he best enjoy this moment because 2018 is the year of the dog.
@CNBC: The big debate on Wall Street right now is whether to 'sell the news' on the tax cut rally
Every vote counts: A Democrat in Virginia defeated a Republican incumbent by a single vote — 11,608 to 11,607 — leaving the House of Delegates evenly split between the two parties.
8,500 firefighters = The number of firefighters who have battled the Thomas wildfire in Southern California — the largest mobilization to fight a wildfire in California's history. The effort has cost $130 million and forced 104,607 people to leave their homes.
ENTERPRISE
Detroit's Amazon HQ2 bid revealed: tax breaks, $120 million talent program, transit vision https://goo.gl/C4uENc
In the sales pitch to Amazon, a reimagined downtown Detroithttps://goo.gl/2pNDQg
Move here, move the world (video) https://goo.gl/xd2sM8
Microsoft's worldwide "advertising expense" for its fiscal year ending June 30 totaled $1.5 billion.
United Parcel Service said it is buying 125 Tesla all-electric semi-trucks.
Uber dealt a blow as EU court rules it is a transport firm: WSJ reports, Uber suffered a major defeat in its effort to overturn strict rules and licensing requirements in Europe, after the bloc’s highest court ruled the ride-hailing company should be regulated as a transportation service, rather than a digital service.
Uber is a taxi service, the ECJ says, in a major setback to the firm: NYT reports, the decision by the European Court of Justice found that Uber operates more like a transportation service than an online platform that matches passengers with drivers. It is likely to restrict the company from expanding services that allowed nonprofessional drivers to offer rides to clients.
TRENDS
Do’s and don’ts brand lessons from 2017: Pepsi, Ikea, Netflix, McDonald’s, Amazon’s Alexa, and others have served up hearty marketing tutorials throughout 2017. https://goo.gl/rjqAdq
QOTD: “You cannot buy attention. You have to earn it by being idea-first and not content-first.” --@ThamKhaiMeng, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Chief Creative Officer
CULTURE
Paris’s colette, ‘trendiest store in the world’, bids adieu after 20 years: AFP reports, located on rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement (district), right in the beating heart of Paris, colette -- the brand's name deliberately spelled in lowercase -- became a “must-visit” for anyone seeking to put their finger on the Parisian trend-setting pulse. It drew crowds from all over the world, including celebrities like Rihanna, Pharrell and Zlatan, who came to experience its unique universe of blending fashion, street art, beauty products, jewelry and high-tech gadgets under the same roof, not to mention its famous water bar which contains some 80 different varieties of the blue stuff.
SPORT
The Lakers have retired both of Kobe Bryant’s jerseys — No. 8 and No. 24.
Caracal Business Insider | November 27, 2017
Catalonia, Germany, Canada, China, Russia, Prince Harry
Caracal Business Insider | Daily
November 27, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross
Caracal Business Insider: Politics + Policy + Profits
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia
GEOECONOMICS
Puigdemont calls for Catalonia to leave EU: The Times reports, the ousted Catalan leader came under pressure from his own pro-independence party today after suggesting that Catalonia should be allowed a vote to quit the European Union.
Barely a quarter of Catalans want to pursue split from Spain according to a poll published in El Pais newspaper on Monday.
Germany edges towards new government: Bloomberg reports, the political stalemate in Berlin is showing signs of easing as the main opposition Social Democrats began haggling over the terms of a renewed coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc, rather than seeking to block an alliance between Germany’s two largest parties.
FT: Brussels rattled as China reaches out to eastern Europehttps://goo.gl/XQT1UW
Canada PM Justin Trudeau to visit China in December.
China's electric-car push sparks gold rush for lithium: Nikkei reports, companies chase deals with Chilean and Australian miners.
Trump, Xi and the siren song of nationalism: A new generation of world leaders is embracing nationalist themes.
FT - Gideon Rachman
Nikkei: Xi Jinping bids adieu to his fellow princelings: Obedience, not bloodline, is the currency that counts in the new team. https://goo.gl/d5Gk5p
Political football: For better or worse, the World Cup will put Russia in the global spotlight. https://goo.gl/yt6fTA
CNN Money: Next stop $10,000? Bitcoin's incredible surge hits new heights https://goo.gl/gpDLto
1 Bitcoin equals 9772.98 US Dollars
Ending NAFTA would hurt growth, competitiveness of United States, Canada: Reuters reports, terminating the North American Free Trade Agreement would harm the U.S. and Canadian economies and reduce their competitiveness versus Asia and Europe, a report issued by the Bank of Montreal said on Monday.
AMERICAN POLITICS
Congress confronts jam-packed agenda with shutdown deadline looming: WP reports, bitter divides over spending, health care and immigration threaten to set up an impasse with government funding set to expire on Dec. 8. Leaders of both parties are set to meet Tuesday with President Trump in a summit that could smooth the path — or inflame simmering fights.
US senators under pressure to back tax reform: FT reports, Trump to meet lawmakers as party tries to firm up numbers.
Senate Republicans are rushing to secure votes to push a tax plan through the Senate as early as this Thursday.
Some form of tax reform will pass in the coming months - probably not this calendar year but certainly before Election 2018.
LAT: Consumer bureau's deputy director sues to stop Trump appointee from taking temporary control of agency
WP: Official sues Trump to block his pick for head of consumer watchdog agency
@markknoller: Both Mulvaney and English are expected to start their day at @CFPB, each claiming to be Acting Director.
Bernie makes moves pointing to 2020 run: Politico reports, the Vermont senator is taking aggressive steps to address long-running political weaknesses, like his lack of foreign policy bona fides.
BRIGADOON SUNDANCE 2018 SPEAKERS
City Hall, Corner Kicks, Cannabis, Computers, Cryptocurrency, Congress = some of the speaker topics for Brigadoon Sundance 2018. You can see the current list of speakers here: http://thebrigadoon.com/speakers/
ENTERPRISE
Meredith and the Koch brothers buy Time Inc. for $2.8 billion deal. Meredith is the publisher of Family Circle and Better Homes and Gardens, will take over a roster that includes Time, Sports Illustrated and People.
Victoria Beckham lands £30 million private equity investment: FT reports, Neo Investment Partners will take an undisclosed stake in fast-growing fashion brand.
Uber in Israel: A court in Israel ordered Uber on Monday to halt a trial program in the Tel Aviv area.
Bloomberg: Why Tencent could become an advertising powerhouse like Facebook https://goo.gl/Nz1ECM
CULTURE
Prince Harry is engaged to his girlfriend Meghan Markle. The wedding will take place in the spring of 2018.
SPORT
China club taps Ajax to build 'best football academy': AFP reports, Dutch football giants Ajax announced a five-year partnership with Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F on Monday that will attempt to build the best youth academy in China. The multi-million-euro deal is the latest in a series of football link-ups between Europe and China, as the Asian superpower -- under football fan President Xi Jinping -- throws money at developing football in the country.
Toronto Star: Argos stun Stamps with fourth-quarter comeback to win Grey Cup