NAFTA, Communists, Shinzo Abe, Barbara Bush, Beyoncé, Manchester City

NAFTA, Communists, Shinzo Abe, Barbara Bush, Beyoncé, Manchester City

Marc Ross Daily
April 16, 2018
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia

Marc Ross Daily  = Global Business News at the Intersection of Politics + Policy + Profits

Subscribe here: https://goo.gl/bSQKwA

TOP FIVE

✔️ China’s Xi Jinping says he is opposed to lifelong rule

✔️ Shinzo Abe visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week

✔️ U.S. bans American cos from selling to China's ZTE

✔️ Beyoncé is bigger than Coachella

✔️ Manchester City clinches Premier League title

ROSS RANT

Go back to school

One of the best thought leader, low hanging fruit techniques is to get reconnected to your school - be it high school, college, or graduate. 

You need your schools.

Over the last few days, I have been down in Chapel Hill, North Carolina attending alumni weekend festivities for the Kenan-Flagler Business School. I was fortunate to be asked to speak with two marketing classes of current students on the intersection of the retail sector and public policy as well as lead a lecture on retail disruption for the alumni back on campus. You can see the decks here: retail politics and retail disruption.

Talking with students as they are about to embark on their careers is a fantastic opportunity. To answer their questions and share your experience I find to be a most wonderful exchange for all involved. Also, you need to be on your game as your audience has immediate access to the WWW to challenge your ideas in real-time, or worse, you are white noise as they tune you out, so they update their Pinterest pages.

Speaking with the alumni, be it 2017 MBA graduates not even 365 days out of college, or older students who departed the school in the 80s, 70s, and even 60s can't be beaten as a venue to present your ideas. This type of cross-generation audience fosters an exchange of experience and knowledge that is a challenge to replicate on a daily workday.

As you think about upping your thought leadership game as a means to improve your experience and knowledge, think about going back to school. Reach out to that alumni director, speak with a former teacher, or find conference taking place on campus.

The ability to share ideas, speak with students, engage alumni from decades past in a safe and friendly environment is a powerful tool that will help you expand your thought leader capabilities. 

GEOECONOMICS

NAFTA: Why the US car industry is trapped in Trump’s trade crossfire https://on.ft.com/2qAPaEW

China’s Communists rewrite the rules for foreign businesses:NYT reports, the party is strengthening its influence — often gaining direct decision-making power — over the international firms doing business in China. https://nyti.ms/2JHEZ9k

FT: China caught off guard by unpredictable Trump

Same.

China delays deal reviews as U.S. trade frictions build: WSJ reports, Qualcomm and Bain Capital are most at risk if the delays scuttle their respective deals. Putting off approvals of cross-border deals that could benefit U.S. firms is bound to further rattle policy makers in Washington as the two sides enter the next phase of high-stakes dance. “Merger reviews and decisions should be based on consistent, scientific, market-based calculations and never the politics of U.S.-China relations,” said Jacob Parker, vice president of China operations at the U.S.-China Business Council.

U.S. bans American companies from selling to China's ZTE: Reuters reports, the U.S. Department of Commerce is banning American companies from selling components to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp for seven years for violating the terms of a sanctions violation case.

FT: China’s Xi Jinping says he is opposed to lifelong rule

Asia’s reliance onU.S. takes backseat to China: Bloomberg reports, Japan and China are holding their first high-level economic dialogue in almost eight years against a backdrop of trade threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. China has replaced the U.S. as the number one trading partner for most nations in Asia, even those that have military alliances with the U.S., like South Korea and Japan.

China and Japan hold first economic talks in eight years. 

LAT: Snubbed by Trump, Japanese leader returns for summitat Mar-a-Lago

Tokyo fears Trump could link security with trade atsummitwith Abe: Reuters reports, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could find his oft-touted close ties with Donald Trump sorely tested at a summit this week in which Tokyo fears the U.S. leader will to try to link vital security matters with touchy trade topics.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago on April 17-18.

Topics on the agenda:

Reconsidering TPP
Dealing with North Korea
Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs
Chinese influence

WP: Trump’s trade moves could send Germany into a recession, report warns

Air strikes on Syria will not change war’s trajectory: FT reports, the US drew a red line, but its response runs the risk of being seen as weak.

Washington plans to impose new sanctions on Moscow today, punishing it for having helped the Syrian government use what are believed to be chemical weapons.

Friday's airstrikes, which hit three targets, were intended to keep the West from being dragged further into Syria’s seven-year war. 

AMERICAN POLITICS

Some Republicans see House Speaker race as an open field: WSJ reports, the race to succeed Paul Ryan as House speaker is an open field, some Republicans say, even as Majority Whip Steve Scalise has been hesitant to pose a direct challenge to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

A post-Trump GOP might emerge from a Ryan Underground: The immediate future, for both Trump and what is now his party, is bleak. But perhaps this upcoming time in the wilderness will enable the emergence of a new right-of-center Ryan Underground movement that helps Republicans reclaim their status as the party of ideas. LAT - Dan Schnur

NYT: Barbara Bush, seriously ill at 92, is stopping treatment

Supreme Court considers whether states should have powerto tax all online sales: WP reports, can states force retailers with a “virtual presence” to collect tax on sales?

Fintech in the US is stymied by old-fashioned regulatorshttps://on.ft.com/2HBL6vc

ENTERPRISE

WPP CEO Sorrell, contending with probe, decided to resign: WSJ reports, before stepping down, Martin Sorrell faced a choice: endure an investigation into an allegation of personal misconduct, or leave the advertising giant he founded, say people familiar with the board and Mr. Sorrell.

Volkswagen’s commercial-vehicles unit said it is considering a full takeover of Navistar.

MoviePass, the $9.95-a-month cinema subscription service, could shake up the film industry — if it survives long enough https://lat.ms/2vgxeEg

Silicon Valley venture capitalists prepare for an IPO wave: NYT reports, investors, bankers, and analysts said they expected a wave of initial public offerings to bring some of the most highly valued and recognizable start-ups to the public market over the next 18 to 24 months — and billions of dollars in returns to their executives and investors. The potential bonanza would follow years of waiting as a few dozen companies amassed valuations without precedent in the private market.

Google’s Facebook copycat moves leave it more exposed to privacy backlash: Bloomberg reports, Facebook took all the heat, but consumers are still skittish about the search giant when it comes to privacy.

Spanish luxury brands buoyed by high-end touristshttps://on.ft.com/2JQbFgP

Blackstone to embark on $4.6 billion corporate shopping spree in Japan.

Elon Musk worries that AI will create an “immortal dictator.”

Japanese convenience stores limber up in effort to spur growth https://on.ft.com/2HmPErR

TRENDS

Why glass milk bottle deliveries are back: As concern over plastic pollution rises, a pint-sized revolution is taking place on doorsteps across the UK. https://on.ft.com/2H27qB7

Nostalgia and ethos - two of the winning tactics for companies and brands to embrace in this new business environment.

Should female athletes sue the networks for equal coverage?http://bit.ly/2H75tze

How to take on ‘Big Sugar’ and win https://on.ft.com/2GZYD2C

CULTURE

RIP: R. Lee Ermey, 'Full Metal Jacket' sergeant, dies at 74

What was it like to live in Watergate? Before its name became a byword for corruption and criminality, "Watergate" meant luxury living for DC's elite. http://bit.ly/2IY08eg

How Beyoncé changed Coachella's temperature: LAT reports, the pop superstar's knockout performance signals the festival's larger effort to diversify its view.

Beyoncé is bigger than Coachella: Beyoncé set a new standard with her performance at the Coachella festival in California, according to the NYT pop music critic.

PODCAST

The Bob Lefsetz Podcast: Shirley Manson: She's the lead singer of Garbage, opens up about growing up in Scotland, religion, music, and sexuality, on this week's episode of The Bob Lefsetz Podcast.http://bit.ly/2vqZ8O7

SPORT

Manchester City clinches Premier League title.

AFP: Manchester City target Premier League dynasty

NFL draft: AP reports, Big D is about something other than Dallas. The NFL is bringing its Big D — the draft — to Jerry Jones’ palace. This draft, the first in a stadium, will pay homage in so many ways to the cliche that everything is bigger in Texas. Ever since the league decided to put the draft up for bids and move it around the country, the focus has been to make it grow even larger than the cottage industry it has become.

Most selections (12): Green Bay Packers
Dates: Apr 26, 2018 – Apr 28, 2018
First selection: Cleveland Browns

NAFTA, Shinzo Abe, US-China, John Bolton, Rag & Bone

NAFTA, Shinzo Abe, US-China, John Bolton, Rag & Bone

Marc Ross Daily
April 3, 2018
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia

Marc Ross Daily  = Global Business News at the Intersection of Politics + Policy + Profits

Subscribe here: https://goo.gl/bSQKwA

TOP FIVE

✔️ Industry giants push back on looming China trade action

✔️ John Bolton, cyber warrior

✔️ More than 25 million people went on a cruise in 2017

✔️ Mueller probe into UAE influence broadens

✔️ Indie bookstores grow in the age of Amazon

ROSS RANT

Sure, China is a competitor, but it's also a marketplace

Much of the press coverage on the current state of US-China commercial relations is focused on competition, and not enough on the market for American goods and services.

China as a competitor has been dominating press headlines for years. Candidates seeking high office in the United States have been informing voters that China is a competitor and the only solution is tough action. Political columnists use China to score easy points and advance one-sided protectionist remedies.

Years of one-sided opinion is having a negative impact on US-China commercial relations and is fostering a tit-for-tat retaliatory tariff environment.

In the United States, negative views of China have increased by 26 percentage points between 2006 and 2016. And American negativity towards China has been higher than Chinese negativity toward the United States in every year since 2014.

A January 2017 Pew Research survey of Americans found that 65 percent of respondents said China is either an adversary (22 percent) or a serious problem (43 percent), while only about a third (31 percent) said China is not an issue.

And in a separate Spring 2016 survey by Pew Research, a majority (55 percent) of Americans held an unfavorable opinion of what more and more Americans see as their largest Asian rival.

This hostile environment is the public affairs reality that American business is facing right now.

Many now see China, one of America's most significant and most promising markets, as a loser for US business. Unfortunately, this belief is fertile ground for politicians supporting protectionist policies and trade halting tariffs. Actions that if successfully passed would force Beijing to respond with retaliatory trade tactics including increased limits stifling full access to the growing Chinese consumer marketplace for American goods and services.

It is time for those that care about a productive and engaged US-China commercial relationship to take these polls seriously and engage Americans in Main Street coffee shops and at picnic tables for backyard BBQs.

For far too long American business has overly relied on a model dependent on high-level government relationships and support from the White House and corresponding federal agencies to manage the US-China relationship.

This model to manage the US-China relationship is exhausted and broken.

US companies exported $135 billion in goods to China in 2017, and it is still the third-largest US goods export market behind Canada and Mexico, our neighbors and NAFTA partners.

Thirty states experienced at least triple-digit goods export growth to China since 2006, and four states saw growth of more than 500 percent over the same period: Alabama, Montana, North Dakota, and South Carolina. Every US state had triple-digit services export growth to China since 2006, 16 states had export growth of more than 400 percent.

At a grassroots level, it is critical to remind Americans US goods and services exported to China come from a wide range of industries. Goods such as transportation equipment, agriculture products, computers and electronics, and chemicals. These exports also sustain logistics jobs in America’s ports and warehouses throughout the country.  Also, US services exports come from the travel, education, and transportation sectors as well as professional business and financial services.

Leaders of American business needs to play a decisive role in reversing this trend and ensuring American goods and services reach the ever-expanding Chinese marketplace. Sitting on the sidelines will be too detrimental for America's economic security. 

GEOECONOMICS

Trump pushing for preliminary NAFTA deal by mid-April, sources say: Bloomberg reports, The White House wants leaders from Canada and Mexico to join in unveiling the broad outlines of an updated pact at the Summit of the Americas that begins April 13.  

Trump will welcome PM Shinzo Abe of Japan to Mar-a-Lago from April 17-18, 2018.

China to start paying for oil in yuan as early as this year: report: Asia Times reports, Beijing is forging ahead in its efforts to internationalize the yuan, with sources saying this week that China may begin paying for crude oil with the local unit as early as this year. 

Industry giants push back on looming China trade action: NYT reports, as the United States prepares stiff trade measures and China retaliates, stock markets have plummeted and some of America’s biggest companies have lodged objections. The idea of addressing China’s unfair trade practices is popular, but details of President Trump’s plan have set off fierce opposition.

Trump to unveil China tariff list this week, targeting tech goods: Reuters reports, the Trump administration this week plans to introduce a list of $50 billion to $60 billion worth of annual Chinese imports targeted for US tariffs as part of an effort to punish China over its technology transfer policies. Administration officials have said that the US Trade Representative's office is expected to publish the list, which is expected to target "largely high-technology" products, by Friday. 

The US wrote the rules for global trade. Now China is using them against Trump. WP reports, the Chinese government designed its first concrete response to President Trump’s recent wave of protectionist policies to inflict noticeable political and economic pain upon the United States while remaining within the bounds of global trade rules. China imposed tariffs on a relatively modest $3 billion in American imports. But by hitting numerous products, including fruit, wine, ginseng and pork, that affect congressional districts across the country, China demonstrated that it can exert pressure within the American system.

Anchorage Daily News: Here’s what the Trump-China trade negotiations could mean for Alaska’s gas pipeline http://bit.ly/2q3TTxw

"Working on the premises that US-China trade relations don't escalate into a tit-for-tat imposition of tariffs across a host of sectors, LNG presents a real opportunity for the U.S. and China to forge common ground (and economic benefit)," said Jamian Ronca Spadavecchia, managing director at Oxbow Advisory, where he works on business, trade and government policy analysis. 

AMERICAN POLITICS

John Bolton, cyber warrior: Politico reports, John Bolton has spent years imploring the US to go on the attack in cyberspace — a stance that some digital warfare experts caution could set up the nation for a conflict it would be better off avoiding. 

Corruption, not Russia, is Trump's greatest political liability: New York Magazine reports, instead of draining the swamp, the president is monetizing it.  What appears to be an embarrassment of riches for Democrats may in fact be a collection of distractions, and it's likely that several of Trump’s most outrageous characteristics will fail to move the needle in the states and districts where the needle needs moving. https://goo.gl/pwVvGb

WSJ: Mueller probe into UAE influence broadens

Beware of an ambitious state AG: Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley (R) said he is launching a probe into Facebook Inc.'s use of personal data and is asking the company to disclose every time-shared user information with a political campaign or political action committee.

ENTERPRISE

LAT: Apple will dump Intel and use its own chips in Macs, sources say

Rag & Bone aims to revitalize the brand in Japan.

More than 25 million people went on a cruise in 2017.

Beauty mogul Bobbi Brown launches a lifestyle brand: NYT reports, Bobbi Brown spent more than 20 years building a major beauty brand and proving her doubters wrong, and now she's expanding with a new lifestyle venture dubbed Beauty Evolution. The brand will focus on wellness products including a vanilla collagen cocktail and a chocolate protein drink.

Indie bookstores grow in the age of Amazon: NPR reports, independent bookstores took hits as first large chains and then Amazon grabbed market share, but many indies learned to adapt and their numbers have climbed about 40% since 2009, Harvard Business School professor Ryan Raffaelli said. "Real estate developers are actually willing to give deals to some of the independent bookstores because the independent bookstore is a mark of authenticity," he said.

Reuters: Walmart opens first small high-tech supermarket in China

CBS plans to make an all-stock offer for Viacom.

Hostility from Trump, criticisms from Capitol Hill threaten to weaken the tech industry: WP reports, Monday was just the latest bad day for Silicon Valley, which has seen its biggest brands politically battered over several months as the president has lashed out on social media and US and European regulators have scrutinized the industry.

TRENDS

6 billion: That’s Starbucks’ own estimate for how many cups it distributes worldwide, or around 1 percent of the 600 billion paper and plastic cups that Earth uses in a given year.

CULTURE

23 percent: Black Panther was responsible for a staggering 23 percent of all movie ticket sales in the first three months of the year, the second-highest percentage ever. Titanic” took up 25 percent of winter sales in 1998.

LAT: Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas will be reborn as Virgin Hotels property

SPORT

Baseball: FiveThirtyEight gives the Astros and Indians each a 14 percent chance of winning the World Series, with the Dodgers (12 percent) and Yankees (9 percent) also in the hunt.

When 26.2 miles just isn't enough – the phenomenal rise of the ultramarathon: They are an almost-impossible test of the human body and spirit, yet the number of ultramarathons has increased 1,000% over the last decade. Adharanand Finn of Guardian asks what’s behind this rapid increase – and whether racing 100 miles or more is actually good for you. http://bit.ly/2GtUZOr

Caracal Business Insider | December 11, 2017

WTO, NAFTA, EU, #ALSEN, N.W.A

Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 11, 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

What does your country think about globalization? https://goo.gl/GhBP5q

Risks from the WTO’s new power vacuum: WSJ reports, with the US flipping from a champion of free trade to lead skeptic, the global trade body’s relevance is at stake.

Trump attack on WTO sparks a backlash from members: FT reports, Argentina, and other countries issue clarion call to strengthen the trading system.

Argentina has banned more than 60 activists from environmental and anti-globalization groups from a World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires amid fears of protests.

Trump trade tsar wields power over WTO destiny: FT reports, Robert Lighthizer stands to be a potentially disruptive figure in the global economy.

2018 will be the year of Lighthizer.

Goldman warns of US NAFTA exit as negotiators seek small wins https://goo.gl/RP8C8i

As Brexit looms, Paris tries a business makeover: NYT reports, hoping to woo companies that will move employees from London, leaders in Paris are trying to replace red tape with a red carpet.

Home values in London are likely to fall another 2 percent in 2018 after a 1.8 percent decline this year.

Britain's May hails new optimism in Brexit talks after deal: Reuters reports, Prime Minister Theresa May will hail "a new sense of optimism" in Brexit talks on Monday, telling parliament Britain and the European Union should sign off on a deal at a summit this week "to move forwards together" to discuss future trade ties.

Qatar and Britain jet deal: The government of Qatar and British weapons maker BAE Systems have finalized a multi-billion deal for 24 combat jets.

Saudi Arabia to reopen cinemas after a 35-year ban: FT reports, the move credited to social reforms undertaken by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Aramco execs are worried about Uber: Senior officials at the oil giant Saudi Aramco told the Financial Times they were more concerned about the growth of ride-sharing apps such as Uber than about the rise of electric vehicles.

Syria: Putin announced a partial pullout of his forces from the country.

Reuters: EU tells Netanyahu no support for Trump's Jerusalem move

China to clarify market access with a no-go list for foreign, domestic capital: Caixin reports, a comprehensive ‘negative list’ first to include both local and overseas investment restrictions.

South Korea has reportedly banned bitcoin futures. 

AMERICAN POLITICS

@AP: BREAKING: New York Police Department says it is responding to report of explosion near Times Square.

@TODAYshow: BREAKING: Police in New York City are responding to an explosion near Port Authority

Bloomberg: Trump plans to make closing argument for tax overhaul Wednesday

The Treasury Department will serve as the venue and the audience will be made up largely of young people and middle-class families whose personal stories will be laced into his remarks.

Was Trump SoHo used to hide part of a Kazakh bank’s missing billions? Bloomberg reports, court cases playing out on two continents may reveal whether the bank’s former chairman funneled money into three condos in the Manhattan luxury tower. https://goo.gl/RzhX5s

B&T: The White House will roll out an infrastructure effort in January with a $1 trillion road and bridge building plan. 

Today: At 9:00 am NBC, Megyn Kelly will conduct a live, sit-down interview with three women who have accused President Trump of sexual misconduct: Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey, and Rachel Crooks.

#ALSEN: Voters in Alabama select their next US Senator tomorrow. either Roy Moore (R) and Doug Jones (D). Polls are open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm ET.

#ARSEN: Should Tom Cotton (R-AR) be picked to lead the CIA, I predict the current AG LG Tim Griffin (R-AR0 will be selected to complete Cotton's US Senate term.

SoCal fires: Southern California fire officials anticipate more growth and danger due to continued strong wind gusts, no rain, and decades-old dry vegetation.

At 230,000 acres, the Thomas fire is now the fifth-largest wildfire in modern California history.

US Santa Barbara cancels finals week and allows students to head home early due to fire threat.

NEED A SPEAKER? 

Marc A. Ross 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

Hospital merger: Ascension and Providence St. Joseph Health are in talks about a possible merger that would put 191 hospitals in 27 states under a single owner.

FT: Uber London license appeal set for April at earliest

TRENDS

How to give the gift of bitcoin this holiday seasonhttps://goo.gl/zjbjxe

@techreview: China is embarking on an unprecedented effort to master artificial intelligence. 

CULTURE

Today: Gloden Globe nominations will be announced Monday at 8:15 am ET.

The moment N.W.A changed the music worldhttps://goo.gl/DW7B6p

SPORT

Champions League last-16 draw:

Juventus v Tottenham (13 February and 7 March)

Basel v Manchester City (13 February and 7 March)

Porto v Liverpool (14 February and 6 March)

Sevilla v Manchester United (21 February and 13 March)

Real Madrid v PSG (14 February and 6 March)

Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma (21 February and 13 March)

Chelsea v Barcelona (20 February and 14 March)

Bayern Munich v Besiktas (20 February and 14 March)

Final: The Champions League final will take place in Kiev on May 26.