SAO PAULO | By Marcus Nunes | ‘Uncertainty’ is getting more and more attention. John Taylor is a great supporter, so much so that a while back I did a post with the title “Taylor´s Uncertainty Principle”, and argued that what was really keeping the recovery back was the “on and off” decisions by the Fed.
The Corner Team via TED Talks | Should we turn to corporations or to governments and NGOs in order to solve global problems such as access to water? Is money the key (and barrier) to education, access to justice and political influence? Two radically different ideas on business and its potential for good.
WASHINGTON | By Jeff Madrick via The Next New Deal | This latest outrage is just another symptom of an extreme anti-government ideology with roots dating back to the 1970s, the author believes. And sequestration is undermining what could have been a strong recovery by now.
BANGALORE | By Srikanth Vasuraj | Thanks to the Supreme Court of India, the last few days have seen some significant action, sending some powerful politicians behind bars. The country has over the years seen rising criminalization of politics with people with dubious backgrounds winning elections and occupying seats of power in Parliament. The growing cosy nexus between parties and criminals with the objective of winning seats in elections and the rising corruption amongst the ruling political class and bureaucracy have been the main cause for this alarming phenomenon.
WASHINGTON | By Pablo Pardo | What is the difference between the current fiscal crisis and government shutdown and an eventual U.S. default after Oct. 17th? The same between a “disruptive” event and a “major macro systemic event”. Think of the 1929 Crash or the 1973 oil shock.
MEXICO FD | By David Brunat | Odd as it may sound, tropical storm Karen, expected to hit the Gulf of Mexico in the coming hours, has come to stabilize oil prices and ease concerns that a prolonged U.S. government shutdown would hurt demand. Crude rose to near $104 a barrel Friday.
MEXICO FD | By David Brunat | Think small, invest big. That’s the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report advice on Latin America. While the continent’s larger economies are apparently shrinking or stalling, the usually forgotten small fishes continue to grow and have become very interesting places for business.
MADRID | By JP Marin Arrese | Markets are largely disregarding the Tea Party zealots’ threat to shut down both the Federal administration and the country’s ability to honour its obligations. They bet a last-ditch attempt to find a compromise, will break the current deadlock.
WASHINGTON | By Jerome C. Glenn via BBVA Openmind| Although many of the trends and possible future developments explained in this chapter can be quite depressing, based on sixteen years of research on the 15 Global Challenges identified by The Millennium Project, I have come to the conclusion that we have the resources and ideas to address them, and that there is more agreement about how to build a better future than is evident in the media, yet decision-making and institutional capacity — so far — is insufficient to make the decisions fast enough and on the scale large enough to build a better future.
By Ray Kwong | Despite the hoopla around China’s new free trade zone which opened on Sunday, details are sparse on exactly how the promise of economic liberalization will help boost the economy.