World economy

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A Nobel Prize for discovering our inner GPS

MADRID | The Corner | Right now, you are sitting on your desk and plan to grab a sandwich from the vending machine, then consider investing on a stock. Your plans are clear. But do you know why you know that? Neuroscientists John O’Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard Mos are the discoverers of that mechanism, our brain’s GPS, or cells that form a positioning system in it. They were awarded with the Nobel Prize of Medicine on Monday in Stockholm. Their research could mean advances in the Alzheimer research. 



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Why Draghi failed to convince the markets?

MADRID | By JP Marin Arrese | The crash in stocks all over Europe vividly showed how bitterly Draghi’s asset-buying plan disclosed yesterday disappointed investors. Yet, his introductory statement was widely in line with expectations. He broadly delivered last month promise to cash ABS and covered bonds issued by banking institutions, so long as the assets met the standard collateral requirements for  ECB facilities. He even took a step forward by extending eligibility to lower than senior debt, the so-called mezzanine tranche. Furthermore, he provided firm assurances the plan would  be in place for two years. What turned so utterly wrong? Undoudtedly, the ensuing press conference unfolded into an unmitigated disaster.


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China PMI fails to inspire

LONDON | By Christian Keller at Barclays | China’s official manufacturing PMI was flat at 51.1in September, slightly below Barclays’ forecast (51.3), but marginally above consensus of 51.0. The data reaffirmed the trend of improving external demand, but soft domestic demand. The China PMI data had a limited market impact, with local markets closed for National Day while AUD fell following the weak sales outcome. 


US China exchange rate conflict

China under the markets’ spotlight: What is really going on?

MADRID | By Ana Fuentes |  Protests in Honk Kong have served to put even more pressure on Beijing’s economy, which is already struggling to maintain growth, boost household consumption and ease credit lending. The last monetary easing by the country’s central bank and the rumours that its governor could be replaced for being too reform-minded has seen certain questions arise. Are they pertinent or just distorting noise?


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Steady progress toward US full employment

LONDON | By Rajiv Setia and Anshul Pradhan at Barclays | Developed rates markets rallied globally over the past week, led by the long end, largely in response to the across-the-board underperformance of risk-assets. Figure 1 shows changes in ED-implied rates on the day of the September FOMC meeting, as well as the change from pre-FOMC levels to now. 



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The degree of “great” in “Great Stagnation” is a choice variable

SAO PAOLO | By Marcus Nunes via Historinhas | Scott Sumner writes “What kind of Great Stagnation?” It seems to me that the Krugman/Summers view has three big problems: The standard textbook model says demand shocks have cyclical effects, and that after wages and prices adjust the economy self-corrects back to the natural rate after a few years. Even if it takes 10 years, it would not explain the longer-term stagnation that they believe is occurring.


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Economic growth is not enough

By the RSA | Two-thirds of the world’s population live in countries that are now more unequal than they were in 1980. Our politicians are hung up on keeping the economic growth curve rising. But does GDP really tell us all we need to know about a country’s wealth and well-being? In this Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) Short, Kate Raworth makes a powerful argument to look beyond economic growth alone for a true measure of prosperity and progress.


economic stagnation

USE-ME to avoid secular economic stagnation

SAO PAULO | Benjamin Cole via Marcus Nune’s Historinhas | Well, if a Martin Wolf can call for permanent QE by all Western governments, and if a John Cochrane can suggest the U.S. Federal Reserve should completely liquidate the U.S. national debt, than I guess my USE-ME program is worth trotting out as well. I mean anything goes these days, no?