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.

Caracal Business Insider | December 8, 2017

Brexit Deal, SoCal Fires, M&M's, The Crown, City v United, College Cup  

Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 8, 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

FT: UK reaches historic Brexit divorce deal

Bloomberg: Brexit breakthrough struck as path cleared for tough trade talks

WSJ: UK, EU reach an agreement on Brexit divorce terms

NYT: Britain and EU clear way for Brexit talks to proceed

LAT: Britain, European Union make a Brexit breakthrough

The Times: Deal agreed in Brexit talks as Theresa May ‘guarantees’ no hard border for Ireland

Overcoming months of deadlock, Britain and the European Union cleared the way today to begin negotiations on trade relations after Britain’s departure, scheduled for March 2019.

Brexit breakthrough seal shows give and take: Some key points https://goo.gl/jfMEZz

The Politico 28 Class of 2018: The ranking of the 28 people who are shaping, shaking and stirring Europe. https://goo.gl/UJ29Cn

Putin to launch giant $27 billion LNG project in the Arctic: AFP reports,  in the snow-covered plains of the Arctic as Russia hopes to surpass Qatar to become the world's biggest exporter of the chilled fuel.In temperatures of around minus 16 degrees Fahrenheit, the Russian president was scheduled to oversee the first gas shipment being loaded onto an icebreaking tanker from an LNG plant in the port of Sabetta on the Yamal Peninsula above the Arctic Circle.

Argentine judge orders arrest of former president Kirchner: AFP reports, an Argentine judge on Thursday ordered the arrest of former president Cristina Kirchner for allegedly covering up Iranian involvement in a 1994 bombing at a Buenos Aires Jewish center that left 85 people dead.

Indonesia set to ink trade deal with Chile by year-end: Nikkei reports, President Widodo embraces openness, shifting the country away from protectionism.

Taiwan has statues of him everywhere. Now many want Chiang Kai-shek's image removed: LAT reports, across Taiwan, his image and name are everywhere — on statues and street signs and at a lavish memorial hall in the capital. Chiang Kai-shek was long heralded as a national hero who worked to unify China and fought both the Japanese and the communists. But now many Taiwanese view Chiang as a despot.

China-Maldives trade pact catches India off guard: Nikkei reports, the deal was rushed through island nation's legislature under cover of darkness.

AMERICAN POLITICS

Democrats’ move against Franken seen as a moral and political calculation: WP reports, the forced resignation of Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) was the Democrats’ strongest declaration yet that they — unlike the Republicans — are willing to sacrifice their own in the interest of staking out the high ground. But some say that may not be enough to overcome the deeper dynamics that drive the electorate and could make voters even more disillusioned.

WP: Rep. Franks (R-AZ), who asked aides to be surrogate mothers, to resign

Morgan Stanley fires former Democratic congressman Harold Ford Jr. for alleged misconduct.

The House and Senate passed a two-week stopgap spending bill.

‘It was like a war zone’: Fears grow as winds propel wildfires across Southern California: WP reports, the fires forced a wave of new evacuations and shut down major roadways, leaving scenes of apocalyptic destruction in their path.

QOTD: "Every day firefighters in Los Angeles receive a brush burning index report that indicates the fire danger. If it's 165 or higher, that's extreme. The number for Thursday is 296, the highest it has ever been." -- Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas

Wildfires have burned more than 100,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.

How big is 100,000 acres? This is just under the size of the Caribbean island of Barbados or nearly 7 times larger than New York City's Manhattan Island.

The US share of global GDP: In 1970, the US accounted for 36.4% of the world’s economic output, according to the World Bank. In 2016, that figure was down to 24.6%.

However, the United States of America with its collection of united states is an economic powerhouse: US state economies that are comparable in size to nation states:

California and the United Kingdom

New York City and Canada

Florida and Indonesia

Los Angeles and Australia

Ohio and Saudi Arabia

New Jersey and Argentina

Massachusetts and Poland

South Carolina and Vietnam

ENTERPRISE

The Recode 100: The people in tech, business, and media who mattered in 2017. https://goo.gl/rjNyq7

Lyft and self-driving car company nuTonomy begin autonomous rideshare pilot in Boston.

Uber is selling a 51% stake in its car-rental unit in Singapore to public-transport operator ComfortDelGro for $218 million.

Ford will build electric cars in Mexico, shifting its plan: NYT reports, the move will take advantage of lower costs and clear the way for a new Michigan plant to make driverless vehicles instead, which Ford said would mean even more jobs.

M&M's will air one 30-second spot in the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

Entrepreneurs are betting on a billion-dollar future for hemp: Thanks to new laws, hemp food products have the opportunity to become big business; now, two nonexperts hope to create a new category. https://goo.gl/NuegJy

Bravo has teamed with on-demand food delivery service Postmates to bring meals from former contestants to your door.

How failure is a part of MailChimp’s DNA https://goo.gl/vt1Nvk

Twitter looks for cracks in China’s Great Wall: Caixin reports, the social networking giant sells ads to Chinese customers aiming for global audience

Globe + Mail: Toronto passes strict Airbnb rules aimed at preserving long-term rental supply

Death of retail? 2017 was all about the empire of luxury e-tail: Farfetch, the other big name, is an online marketplace for 500 independent luxury boutiques and 200 brands as well as the owner of the bricks-and-mortar store Browns in London. The stakes are high. https://goo.gl/o7d273

TRENDS

Four career lessons learned from 14 months of improv classes https://goo.gl/bbiMmG

Page not found: A brief history of the 404 Errorhttps://goo.gl/nxbmng

How to read financial news https://goo.gl/SHfvBo

CULTURE

I am booked this weekend: The Crown, Netflix’s drama about the life of Queen Elizabeth II, returns today for its second season.

Jerry Garcia once said the Grateful Dead was like licorice: “Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.”

COTD: The economic power of cities compared to nations

Sorry, Canada—your entire economy would fit inside Tokyo.

Were it a nation, Tokyo would rank as the 15th largest economy in the world.

Los Angeles’ $928 billion GDP is bit smaller than Australia’s, with $1.1 trillion.

The $810 billion economy of Shanghai outranks that of the Philippines, with $744 billion.

Paris, with $819 billion in GDP, has a bigger economy than South Africa, $726 billion.

SPORT

NBA to open a training center in Mexico: AFP reports, the  National Basketball Association is opening an elite training center in Mexico City for men and women players from around Latin America, the league said Thursday. In a joint announcement with the Mexican Basketball Federation and Mexico's Commission for Physical Culture and Sport, the NBA said NBA Academy Latin America, the league's seventh elite training center worldwide, would open in the coming months.

Top soccer matches this weekend:

Friday
NCAA College Cup Semis: Standford v Akron @ 600pm ET + North Carolina v Indiana @ 845pm ET

Saturday
MLS Cup Finals = Toronto v Seattle Sounders FC @ 400pm ET

Sunday
Manchester United v Manchester City @ 1130am ET

NCAA College Cup Finals @ 100pm ET

Wembley to host more Euro 2020 games, replacing Brussels: AP reports, UEFA has picked London to replace Brussels as a host city for the 2020 European Championship, giving Wembley Stadium an additional four games on top of the semifinals and final. Brussels has been dropped from the 13-nation hosting plan because of delays starting to build the Eurostadium project. UEFA also picked Rome to host the opening game of the 24-team tournament.

FT: Manchester City and the ‘Disneyfication’ of footballhttps://goo.gl/tUzNA1

Ronaldo wins fifth Ballon d'Or award: AFP reports, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo won a record-equalling fifth Ballon d'Or award for the year's best player.

US Gymnastics ex-doctor gets 60 years in prison: WSJ reports, the former doctor for the US women’s gymnastics team was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography counts, an effective life term that prosecutors requested to reflect admitted decades of sexual abuse against dozens of young girls, ranging from family friends to decorated Olympic athletes.

Caracal Business Insider | December 7, 2017

Jerusalem, Naples, China, Putin, Volkswagen, Ford, Champions League

Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 7, 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

WSJ: Trump’s Israel move launches uncertain chapter for Mideast

FT - Editorial: Trump’s dangerous decision on Jerusalem: Recognising the holy city as Israel’s capital is a senseless provocation.

Nikkei: Asia's Muslim leaders slam Trump's decision on Jerusalem

Indonesian foreign minister vows to stand 'with the Palestinian people'

NAFTA: CBS News reports, Mexican Ambassador to the US Geronimo Gutierrez says odds are "now about 50-50" that NAFTA will be terminated.

Trump worries Germans more than Kim Jong-un: The Times reports, Germans believe that Trump is a bigger challenge than Russia, Turkey or North Korea, a survey has revealed as the country's foreign minister urged a more assertive stance towards the US president.

"Only 43 percent of Germans viewed Washington as one of Berlin’s two most important foreign partners, down from 60 percent a year ago."

Naples' pizza twirling wins UNESCO ‘intangible’ status: Guardian reports, the traditional art of pizzaiuolo, handed down for generations in southern Italian city, secures coveted world heritage honor.

British PM voices confidence on Brexit trade deal: AFP reports, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday voiced confidence in striking a deal that would allow Britain to open negotiations on post-Brexit trade ties with the EU despite this week's setback.

@Ed_Miliband: What an absolutely ludicrous, incompetent, absurd, make it up as you go along, couldn’t run a piss up in a brewery bunch of jokers there are running the government at the most critical time in a generation for the country.

IndyRef2: The Scottish National Party would trigger a second independence referendum if Scotland were pulled out of the EU customs union and single market against its will.

US firms losing confidence in China business climate: AP reports, US companies in China are seeing their sales improve but are frustrated by policies and regulatory barriers that block better access to the country's lucrative market, according to a survey released Wednesday. The US-China Business Council's survey showed most companies are enjoying better profitability and expecting higher revenues for their China operations as the economy revives. But restricted market access and uncertainty over Beijing's policies toward foreign companies have left them less optimistic about the business climate than in recent years.

What American corporations really think about China: Ken Kapoza in Forbes reports, the number one concern among American multinationals doing business in China is increased competition from the Chinese. Ninety-five percent of companies that participated in a recent survey of U.S. multinationals in China said most of their competitors are local, of which 68% are state-owned. According to the annual member survey by the US-China Business Council.

IMF warns on brewing risks in China's financial system: AFP reports, the International Monetary Fund on Thursday warned of brewing risks in China's banking system as it found dozens of crucial lenders needed to beef up their protection against possible financial crises.

QOTD: “Truth is China stopped being the low labor cost country years ago. That is not the reason to come to China ... the reason is because of the skill.” — Apple CEO Tim Cook

Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive mimics a Ming obsession: FT reports, the absence of reform in China would scupper the success of the president’s campaign.

Australia warned over ‘siding against’ China in security group: SCMP reports, a former Australian foreign minister has warned over his country siding against China in a security grouping with the United States, India and Japan. 

US should disinvite China to RIMPAC naval exercises: The invitation is perplexing, given China's stated objective of displacing the United States in Asia and its demonstrated willingness to bring this about. 
Asia Times - Grant Newsham

Three less understood aspects of Chinese investment in America
Macro Polo - Joy Dantong Ma

Japan eyes air-to-surface missiles that would put North Korea in range: Nikkei reports, Japan looks to deploy its first air-to-surface missiles in the coming years as a means of deterring North Korea from further weapons testing, bringing Pyongyang's missile bases within Tokyo's military reach. 

North Korea threat makes US Olympic participation an ‘open question,’ Nikki Haley says: WP reports, the UN ambassador did not confirm that it was a “done deal” the US government would recommend that its athletes compete in PyeongChang amid rising tensions in the region.

What does she know that we don't know?!?

Russia's Putin to seek re-election in 2018: AFP reports, President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday he would seek re-election in March 2018, a contest opinion polls show he will win comfortably, setting the stage for him to extend his dominance of Russia’s political landscape into the third decade.

@AP: BREAKING: Vladimir Putin declares his intention to seek re-election as Russian president.

Putin is amazing. On the same day, he announced his re-election campaign he also announced his election victory.

FP: In return to Cold War posture, US sending sub hunting planes to Iceland

AMERICAN POLITICS

Franken: More than 30 of Al Franken’s Democratic colleagues urged him to quit the Senate. Minnesota Public Radio reports Franken will resign in a Senate floor speech.

US Navy unveils a new slogan = “Forged by the Sea” 

How the Kremlin tried to pose as American news sites on Twitter: AdAge reports, Kremlin-backed Russian Internet Research Agency operated dozens of Twitter accounts masquerading as local American news sources that collectively garnered more than half-a-million followers. More than 100 news outlets also published stories containing those handles in the run-up to the election, and some of them were even tweeted by a top presidential aide. 
https://goo.gl/vNuF1c

As wildfires scorch Southern California, officials warn that more blazes could erupt in coming days: WP reports, Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties after fires forced tens of thousands to escape, destroying hundreds of structures and emptying homes, hospitals, schools and multimillion-dollar mansions alike.

BE A BETTER VOTE IN 2018 - HOST A GLOBALIZATION WORKSHOP

Marc A. Ross of Caracal Global 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

Cheap tech boom: A new wave of decent, but dirt-cheap, gadgets is about to flood the market—and you can thank Amazon for their creation. https://goo.gl/TzTFFR

Wall Street banks push back on bitcoin futures plan: FT reports, draft letter to US regulators says financial system ill-prepared for cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin topped $15,000 for the first time Thursday rising more than 40% in the past week alone. 

General Electric’s power division said it was cutting 12,000 jobs as part of its efforts to reduce structural costs by $1 billion next year.

Volkswagen official gets a 7-year term in diesel-emissions cheating: NYT reports, the sentencing of Oliver Schmidt, a former Volkswagen manager in Michigan, was the latest turn in a vast scandal that has tarnished the company’s reputation and has cost the carmaker more than $20 billion in fines and settlements. The sentence, including a fine of $400,000, was imposed by Judge Sean F. Cox in Federal District Court in Detroit four months after Mr. Schmidt, 48, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the federal government and to violating the Clean Air Act. The sentence was in line with the prosecution’s recommendation.

CNBC: Ford betting 'very heavily' China will dominate the electric vehicle market

NYT: China will lead an electric car future, Ford’s chairman says

Bozoma Saint John: can marketing guru restore Uber’s image? https://goo.gl/ZxoRx1

FT: Chinese bike-sharing start-up Ofo raises $1 billion

TRENDS

Tencent says there are only 300,000 AI engineers worldwide, but millions are needed: The Verge reports, a new report from the Chinese tech giant attempts to put a number on the AI talent shortfall. https://goo.gl/dnmuy9

How Google's crowdsourced GPS app is succeeding as 'the only screen in the car': If you don't drive to work, you probably haven't heard of it - but GPS app Waze is proving indispensable for users and a lucrative new channel for brands.
Campaign - Simon Gwynn

World’s first modular stadium to host 2022 World Cup: Matches in the 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place in a stadium designed to be taken apart and reconstructed elsewhere in a new configuration. https://goo.gl/vuMxaa

POTD

POTD: Shake Shack, disruption, and leadership: Brian Koppelman, on The Moment podcast, interviews Danny Meyer, a New York City restaurateur and the Chief Executive Officer of the Union Square Hospitality Group https://goo.gl/sM2RVN

SPORT

UEFA Champions League draw - round of 16:

Barcelona*
Basel
Bayern München
Beşiktaş*
Chelsea
Juventus
Liverpool*
Manchester City*
Manchester United*
Paris Saint-Germain*
Porto
Real Madrid
Roma*
Sevilla
Shakhtar Donetsk
Tottenham Hotspur*

(*group winners)

The UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw will take place at 6:00 am ET on Monday, December 11.